


Then Comes the Night

by TheSleuth



Category: Reylo - Fandom, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: A wee bit of headcanon thrown in, Angst, Beauty and the Beast Elements, Canon Compliant, Canon Divergence, Canon Universe, Dark Rey (Star Wars), Dark Reylo, Dark Side Rey, Devoted Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Smut, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, First Time, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Holocron, Hurt/Comfort, Kylo Ren Redemption, Kylo Ren and Rey Are Not Related, Possession, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Psychological Torture, Rey's POV, Reylo - Freeform, Seduction to the Dark Side, Slow Burn Rey/Kylo Ren, Smut, Torture, until it’s not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-11
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-06-26 15:30:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 22,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19771147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSleuth/pseuds/TheSleuth
Summary: Amidst the rebuilding phase of the Resistance, General Leia is captured by a spy posing as a new recruit. She has been taken to Fortress Vader to be used as a conduit for a Sith ritual, which will complete Kylo Ren’s dark side training under the guidance of Darth Sidious’ spirit. Rey sets out to take Leia’s place. Her resolve will be tested as she is forced to walk the dark side and the light during captivity, bringing her closer to understanding the enigma of Kylo Ren than she has ever been.“There had been no time to linger on that small 'what-if' nudging the back of her thoughts - that surge of hope strung so briefly between them when they'd touched.No.Their time of standing together was over.The opportunity for him to return to the light had extinguished like a flame. Old Skywalker was right after all. It hadn’t gone the way she thought.Now she needed to be here, present in the moment, ready for whatever would come. If she forgot the past, she’d only underestimate her opponent. She had no intention of doing that here in what certainly felt like the black heart of evil.Kylo Ren stepped before her again and sense of foreboding pierced her to the core. He meant to break her will.”





	1. Where Darkness Began

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

Desperate in its attempts to rebuild, the Resistance has begun recruiting new members from the far corners of the galaxy.

Yet the growing sense of hope has been short lived.

Betrayed by a mysterious newcomer, General Leia has been captured and is now being held prisoner by her own son, Kylo Ren, at Fortress Vader.

With the might of the First Order at his back and guided by the spirit or Darth Sidious, the unstoppable Ren only needs another force user to complete his Sith training in a sinister ritual.

Refusing to fail Leia, Rey makes another daring journey to Mustafar, hoping Ren will accept her as a replacement.

\--

Rey licked her lips in a feeble attempt to prevent them from cracking in the relentless heat. Growing up on Jakku, she was no stranger to elevated temperatures, but the lava flows of Mustafar were a different beast entirely. The sweltering air and unyielding darkness seemed to be crawling over her skin, yet somehow she still felt a cool tingle lying there just below the surface. The same force energy she felt in the presence of Kylo Ren ever since they’d touched hands. She had truly believed he could be turned up until Snoke’s throne room and the aftermath. The idea he could still let his anger overrule any compassion he’d seemed to feel for her had shattered her spark of hope in him. Just like the kyber crystal, cleft in twain by their metaphysical separation. Once she’d closed the door in his face, she’d closed the bridge Snoke had created in their minds as well. Now she found herself risking it all again by arriving on his doorstep once more.

In the year since Skywalker’s sacrifice, the Resistance had done it’s best to rebuild, scraping together allies from the most remote parts of the Galaxy. It hardly came as a surprise that one of them had turned out to be a traitor. There weren’t enough resources to get the background details of every new recruit. While Rey was busy attempting to rebuild the Skywalker saber and studying the Jedi texts, she’d missed any intuitive red flags or disturbances in the force and now Leia was paying for her lack of foresight. The traitor, whoever they were, had taken Leia in the night. As any spineless coward would, she supposed, no doubt a lackey of Hux. It had been easy to find her once she connected to the energy that bound all things.

Rey pushed the anger, regret and sadness away, locking into the calmness of the balance. All she had to do was follow Leia’s light as she moved towards a great void. There was only one place that could hold that much dark energy, a place that would mean something to Kylo Ren. She made preparations to leave immediately.

The resistance needed a leader more than a half-trained Jedi Knight right now. It was an easy decision to make. Finn knew the lesson well of trusting the wrong people and, as she’d gathered her things to go, he knew better than to try and stop her. She said her goodbyes to Rose and Poe as well. They’d all become close friends over the last year. She didn’t need the Force to tell her that Poe wanted to be more than friends, but she knew a life with him would be impossible. He’d be General one day and needed someone who could stand by his side and help him lead. She would never be that woman for him. Not in that way. 

“What if you don’t come back?” Rose had asked.

“I can’t think about that right now.” Was all she had replied. She was no longer the type to dwell on a future that could change or be misread.

The only time she felt she was truly understood in the most secret parts of herself was unfortunately when she force bonded with Ren. The murderous monster had somehow touched her soul in a way only the Force could allow. But that’s all it had been, magic tricks of a Force wielder. Where the spark of companionship had been blossoming was now only an empty hollow tucked deep within her. 

Through intense meditation she had been able to prepare herself once more for their next encounter. One that she hoped would be their last. She had learned to compartmentalize her emotions and fears, focusing only on what was needed. She had never felt more ready than she did in this moment, marching alone through the lava field towards fate. Whether it was his or hers, it would end here. 

Before she reached the black gates, she was met by a small detachment of stormtroopers with armor red as blood. They were accompanied by a handful of cloaked figures in distinctive helms. These must be the infamous Knights of Ren. She’d only seen them once before in the vision that overtook her after she first touched Skywalker’s saber. She told them cuffs were unnecessary, that she had come unarmed, yet they shackled her wrists all the same. The sensation brought her back to the elevator on Snoke’s ship. She dug her fingernails into her palm, allowing the pain to refocus her in the present.

Kylo Ren wore his mask again, the fused cracks glowing red like the rivers of molten lava surrounding the fortress. He certainly looked like a creature that would dwell in such miserable surroundings. She guessed if she could see his face, it would be smug. 

Of course she’d come for Leia. No one else would make a suitable switch, not to him. She kept her own face impassive, this was merely business. A prisoner exchange.

“I won’t bother with any formalities, I’ve come to offer myself in exchange for Leia.” Her voice was a bit raspy, parched as she was, but it didn’t waver.

“And why would I want a scavenger in the place of a General?” His tone was mocking, even distorted as it was by the mask.

“We both know that this location is not a strategic one for the First Order. I can feel the Sith energy radiating from the core of this place. You need someone stronger with the Force than she is for whatever you intend to do.” Rey suppressed a shudder, knowing the history of Vader’s citadel and the great evil that lurked within. She could feel it in Ren as well. 

Any conflict she had once felt was now gone, buried deep within the murky swirl of an obsidian aura, so palpable she could almost taste it. Ben Solo was truly lost, even if no one was ever really gone as Skywalker had told Leia. He’d been transformed into this vessel for hatred and pain. The energy pricked violently beneath her skin now. He was trying to get something from her again, just like he had when he first interrogated her. Her mind wards were much stronger now and she resisted him easily. She held her composure and the prickling ebbed away.

He considered only for another moment before snapping his fingers. Leia was brought forth. She looked so frail despite being gone for mere hours. Her miraculous journey through space had forever weakened her, though her light remained undimmed and for that Rey was grateful.

“Leia,” Rey exhaled, allowing her relief to wash outward. She moved to take a step closer, but she was yanked back by Ren’s henchman.

Leia looked at Rey, her eyes were full of warning.

_ You shouldn’t have come here _ , they said.

A chill ran up her spine, her fears confirmed about the dark purpose of this place.

“Send her safely back to her precious Resistance. I’m sure the prisoner’s ship isn’t far.”

Rey had come in an A-wing, knowing that Leia would be able to use the simple controls to pilot it back with the new coordinates she’d left encrypted in the system.

“Take the Jedi to the cell and leave her there. No one else in or out except me.” Rey mustered her resolve to give Leia one last look. One of strength.

_ I know what I am doing, _ she conveyed as quickly as she could before she was torn away by the rough hands that gripped her shoulders and shoved her down a slanted hallway.


	2. Walls of Kyber

Her hands finally unshackled, Rey was thrown into a pitch black room of metal and stone. The swirling energy suddenly abated as the door hissed closed behind her, though the enveloping heat had not. There was no sound or light, only the smell of charred earth and the damned heat. There was something else about the room too. A similar absence like when she had recognized Luke was missing from the universal ebb and flow. She could not not feel the comfort of the ever-pulsing energy, nor the subdermal buzzing of Kylo Ren’s. 

She was cut off from the Force. 

Fear exploded within her and she immediately began to take deep, albeit shaky breaths, attempting to regain the inner balance she had worked so hard to achieve. She could not be rattled so quickly and easily if she was to survive confinement and whatever else Ren had in store for her. 

She desperately needed some water. They’d taken her satchel, though it contained little other than a water canister and the broken remnants of the Skywalker saber. She’d been unable to reforge the crystal with the meager tools of the Resistance and her lack of formal training. If her initial offer had failed, she knew even the lifeless hilt of the heirloom saber would still hold some value to Ren. Either way, he had them both now.

Minutes passed into hours and Rey sat cross-legged in the corner of the room. She’d felt around in the darkness and found a metal shelf meant for sleeping and a small alcove to relieve herself, but no comforts and no water. The room was cramped, but functional, just like her hut on Ach-To. She passed the time focusing on her mental wards and performing stretches laid out in the Jedi Texts that were meant to increase flexibility for external combat as well as increase internal concentration. With the absence of the Force, she had to rely on her own mental fortitude to ignore her body’s rapid loss of water. Finally, when she could no longer complete even a simple stretch without feeling lightheaded, she retreated inward until she fell asleep from exhaustion.

She awoke in darkness again, unsure if her eyes were open or closed. Her tongue clicked dryly across the roof of her mouth in search of moisture, but to no avail. She rubbed her stiff joints and tried to stand, instead stumbling back and sitting on the bunk. As she did so, the door hissed open and light flooded the small chamber. 

Temporarily blinded, Rey raised a hand to block out the harsh and sudden light. The sound of mechanical whirring sounded as a D-1 unit rolled into view, it’s metal arm clasping her water canister. She knelt and took it hastily, draining the contents into her mouth. There was barely enough left for a few swallows and it was luke warm at this point, yet it was still a small relief. The open door also brought forth the hum beneath her skin. 

Kylo Ren was coming.

His imposing frame took up the majority of the threshold, blocking the light once more. As he entered, an overhead light also ticked on. The light was pale, what precious little of it there was absorbed by the darkness of the surrounding walls. There was a slight sparkle coming from some of the crevices, Rey noticed.

“Kyber” Ren’s voice sounded through his helmet as if he could read her thoughts. The metallic din hurt her ears after so long in silence.

“To prevent me from connecting with the Force.” She was glad her voice didn’t crack from lack of use.

“How astute you are.”

“What did you need Leia for?” She said, cutting to the chase.

“To get to you.” He paused. “You were right that I needed someone stronger with the Force and I knew with your precious General in trouble, you’d come running...again.” Rey fought back the flush rising in her cheeks. Whether it was shame at her previous failure to turn him or her own anger bubbling to the surface, she didn’t know. She clenched her hands, disliking how little control she was having over her emotions.

“I sense that fierce light in you even now. I trust you’ve found another teacher? Hopefully one much better than the last.” His voice still hid that glint of uncontrollable rage at the memory of his Uncle’s betrayal.

“Of course,” Rey lied, clenching her jaw.

“We shall see about that. I hope you are ready to meet a new master,” he grasped her firmly around the wrist with his long, gloved fingers. She felt the leather pressing into her dehydrated skin, but not enough to bruise her as he easily could have. The tingling sensation spiked momentarily and she thought she heard him take a wavering breath of his own beneath the helmet. She couldn’t be sure over the sound of her own feet scraping to get beneath her over the uneven ground as he pulled her from the cell. Two Knights of Ren fell in step behind them, crude steel blades and blasters were all they wielded. Nothing she couldn’t handle if she got the chance. 

He didn’t lead her far. A few doors down the same slanted hallway she’d been led in through, there was another chamber. It was warmly lit, but the air was cooler, she wanted to marvel in the sensation but instead focused on her surroundings, taking them in. A large shelf was lined with several old tomes, much like the tree on Ach-To. Just as that island had contained a power locus for the Jedi, she knew this place held the same significance for the Sith. 

The dark energy was so overwhelming here, she felt like she was being squeezed by an invisible vice that pressed severely into the very fiber of her being. She knew it was the same energy Kylo had wielded against her in the woods of Takodana before he took her to Starkiller Base. She could do little more than breathe and use her limbs to move forward. They stopped as Kylo Ren moved to a room behind the shelf. The door closed behind him, but the control remained over her body. 

She had no intention of running. Not yet at least. Not until she found out what he was planning. If she could thwart their plot, whatever it was, perhaps she could…could what? Kill Kylo Ren once and for all? Cut through anyone that stood in her way? 

Before, after all of Snoke’s guards had fallen beneath them, they’d struggled for the saber like children until Holdo blazed the Resistance cruiser straight through the bow of the Supremacy. 

He’d wanted her to join him and leave it all behind, but she had friends that needed her. She couldn’t leave their lives at risk and run away for such a fragile trust. It was too new, too overwhelming...and maybe just the smallest bit tempting. But she believed in her commitments and learning from the past, not letting those things die as he’d wanted her to. As Kylo Ren wanted her to, not Ben. 

She had picked up the broken saber and stared at him for just a moment as the ship burned and crumbled around them. She could have taken his crackling red saber in hand and ended him right there. The fact that he’d just spared her before Snoke was the simplest reason.

A life for a life. Balance.

There had been no time to linger on that small ‘what-if’ nudging the back of her thoughts - that surge of hope strung so briefly between them when they'd touched. No, their time of standing together was over. The opportunity for him to return to the light had extinguished like a flame, the metaphorical candle then doused completely when he hunted the resistance down and dueled Skywalker on Crait. Old Skywalker had been right after all. It hadn’t gone the way she thought.

Now she needed to be here in the fortress, present in the moment, ready for whatever would come. If she forgot the past, she’d only underestimate her opponent. She had no intention of doing that here in what certainly felt like the black heart of evil.

As the soft hiss signaled the mechanical door opening, the energy vice around her eased and Kylo Ren stepped before her once more.

“It seems the Master feels you need more  _ training _ ,” he emphasized the last word. Having bested him already, Rey was certain he didn’t mean with sabers. The sense of foreboding pierced her to the core. 

They meant to break her will.

“I thought after Snoke, you were done taking orders.” Rey said as calmly as she could muster.

“Snoke was merely a pawn,” his tone was defensive, but his rage only somewhat more subdued than last time she had seen him this close. “The true Master is  _ guiding  _ me. Together we are completing my training in areas Snoke couldn’t even begin to understand.”

Rey had felt Snoke’s power wash over and through her mind like a toxic wave before she had her barriers. He’d seen everything about Skywalker and Ach-To before she could even react. She’d been powerless against him. It made her skin crawl to imagine someone even more powerful...and more prideful. It had been Snoke’s downfall. Perhaps it could be leveraged against this new Master as well.

Rey’s airway tightened suddenly, as Kylo used the force to grip her throat. She felt herself lifted off the ground.

“I am still the Supreme Leader.”

Just as quickly as it had happened, he dropped her to the metal floor. She didn’t need to see behind the helmet to know the petulant look he certainly wore. Like a child throwing a tantrum, he couldn’t stand to be defied. 

She knew the dark side made it difficult to control negative emotions. To unleash them and embrace them gave the Sith great power, but it must be like trying to wield fire in one’s veins. And at what cost?

“I’ve readied a chamber for you adjacent to this one. You may come and go as you please, but only between these two rooms. As you can see there is plenty of reading material. I’m sure you’ll find it much less dry than anything the Jedi could have taught you.”

Rey was taken aback.

“But -” She began and then closed her mouth briefly before continuing, “How long do you intend to keep me prisoner?”

“As long as it takes.” He replied darkly, sounding more than ever like the faceless dark monster he’d become behind his mask.

“What do you intend to do with me? Why not just let me rot in the cell?”

“Is that what you’d prefer? Because that can be arranged.”

“No,” Rey said quickly, remembering the feeling of being slowly baked alive in the silent darkness.

Ren said nothing else, his midnight cloak brushing against her arm as he passed her.

She turned to say something else, but couldn’t find the words. A few moments passed before the two guards outside came and escorted her to her room through a second door directly across from the one Ren had entered minutes before.

A simple plate of over-roasted Shaak and rice had been set on a small table along with a large water canister and a glass of blue milk. She rushed over to the canister and drained it in another handful of swallows as the door shut behind her. The room was barely larger than her cell, but the sleeping shelf had a bed roll and there was also small sink where she could bathe and refill her canister. After several refills and a few tentative bites of the meat, Rey lay down on the shelf.

Her mind raced and she couldn’t unwind the knot of fear and apprehension that had formed in her gut. She only prayed Leia had made it safely back to the new Resistance base. She missed Finn and the others already, but they’d be busy hunting down any other traitors in their midst and continuing to regrow the fleet. Leia would make sure they knew better than to follow her to this miserable place.

Rey hoped that whatever she accomplished here would at least buy them more time before Kylo Ren and the ever-sneering Hux launched any further onslaughts with the First Order. She knew she should continue stretching and focusing on her training, even formulate a plan of some kind, but her fatigue won out and she fell once more into a dreamless sleep.


	3. Visions

This time when Rey awoke, the soft light of her chamber greeted her movement. There was no window here, but somehow she knew it was pre-dawn. Not that she would have wanted to see outside anyways. The landscape of Mustafar was one of the most unpleasant she’d beheld since leaving Jakku. It’s ashen skies and molten geography perfectly captured the fathomless malevolence that radiated from it’s very core. At least inside the steel walls of Fortress Vader she could almost believe she was anywhere else. She used a cloth and some water from the sink to wipe away the soot and grime that had accumulated on her skin during her brief time outside and re-tied the three knots in her hair, a small ritual that was all her own.

When she walked to the door, she half expected it to remain locked, yet it slid open right away. This time her guards were yet another Knight of Ren and one of the crimson clad stormtroopers. They said nothing and simply watched her as she strode past them. Aside from the book shelf, there was a bench into the recessed wall and two tables just like the one in her room. 

Rey stepped to the bookshelf and eyed some of the tomes and journals bound in leather and metals of unknown origin. Many of the authors began with ‘Darth’. A Sith library indeed. 

As she peered closer, she felt subtle vibrations emanating from the books and something else, almost a whisper. These books called to her just as the Jedi texts had. 

Rey closed her eyes in an attempt to find clarity in the Force. The whispering only grew louder, but there was another sensation overpowering all else. Unlike the prickle of Kylo Ren, the new tenebrous feeling stabbed the edges of her mind like a thousand tiny daggers. Something truly nefarious lurked beyond the door he’d entered the night before. Her hand involuntarily rose to meet it, drawn like a magnet. 

She jerked it away. The darkness more than pulled at her here. It beckoned like a manifestation of her own curiosity, threatening to absorb her just as black stone absorbs sunlight.

_ Listen _ , it said.  _ Open _ .

Ach-To had had a similar effect on her. Skywalker had been horrified that she went straight to the dark in their first lesson. He was correct that it had offered her something, but it’s promise turned up empty. She didn’t believe this shade could offer her anything more than he or the Jedi texts could, though the pull was stronger than ever. It was evident there was no light in this place and Rey suddenly felt even more isolated and exposed than she ever had on Jakku. 

_ Open _ , the books said when she glanced over at them again.  _ Open _ the secret place inside herself echoed.

Rey’s palm itched until she reached out and pulled a tome from the shelf, if only to quiet the madness around her. She sat it on the table, trying to focus. Her nails biting into her palm again as she began to breathe deeply, making sure her internal barriers were still in place. The guards only stood there, shifting their weight from foot to foot on occasion, but she could feel their eyes focused on her should she make a move. 

_ Open _ , the book in front of her whispered again. When she pulled back the cover, she could swear she heard it sigh. The words themselves looked harmless enough. This was a scientific manual about the nature of the force and there were notes in the margins about ways to manipulate the balance for power. 

While she read, she kept awareness of the guard changes around her. Every two hours, a new set would be rotated in, sometimes with meals. But no Kylo Ren. She was far too restless to concentrate on absorbing information. Part of her was relieved at his absence, having already been subjected his increased strength and violent mood swings once more. The other part of her was impatient. She wanted to know what he and his master had in store for her. She felt the hollow inside her quiver stubbornly with fear.

_ Open _ , the voice within her said.  _ Listen _ .

“No,” She said out loud, closing the book with a loud thunk. The current guards turned their heads slightly to regard her. She stood resolutely and walked into her room to splash water over her face. Even the strongest Jedi had fragments of darkness in them. Skywalker’s had been his doubt, Vader’s a fear of losing his wife. Rey knew she was no exception. Kylo Ren had already sensed her desperate loneliness on Starkiller Base. Now she also burned with her own doubts and frustration. Her intuition had never failed her until she started down this path and that scared her more than what lurked beyond this room.

For all her meditation, she could only push these things deeper within herself. She wasn’t sure she’d ever be as strong as the Jedi of days past, devoted to an established cause that still felt more of a myth to her. Even being strong with the Force, she was still only human. When she slept again, she dreamed of lightning striking in a desert and a stormy sea beyond.

\--

Rey felt drained to the bone in spite of sleeping much longer than normal over the past few days. Her limbs began to ache after her daily stretches and meditation, but she refused to stop doing them. She’d continued to peruse the materials on the shelf. A war memoir here, alchemical recipes there. Even with her mental barriers, she found it increasingly difficult to ignore the constant presence from beyond the door, lashing at her concentration and raising her hackles every so often without warning. It felt as though the entire area was filled with shards of glass and she had to step tentatively, think tentatively, breathe tentatively.

She could also feel that the guards watching her were bored.

_ As long as it takes _ . Kylo’s voice rang in her head.

She needed something to happen, she couldn’t allow herself to waste away in this room. Surely Leia and the others were safely regrouped at the new base by now and the recruits all secured for questioning. 

Rey rose quickly and eyed the guards pointedly.

“You will open the door and let me inside.” She said, letting the Force touch every word. A Jedi mind trick that she’d only attempted once before and only on one lone stormtrooper.

The knight and the stormtrooper raised their weapons.

“That won’t work on us, now sit back down,” the knight said, but Rey didn’t waste any time wondering why. She summoned both of the tables, ripping them from the floor where they’d been bolted into place, and hurled them at both guards. They were pinned to the wall briefly before both crumpled to the ground. She used the same energy to lift the unconscious knight and move his body to the door, knowing there was probably a magnetic key on him somewhere. After a small mechanical click, it slid open. Dropping him, Rey went to the door. She hesitated, afraid of what she might see. The sharp staccato of the energy began again in earnest as she stepped through the threshold.

The room held two chairs and a singular pedestal table between them, a window looking out to the waterfall of lava spewing from beneath the fortress. On the table was a melted black mass from which the energy radiated. She stepped closer, uncertain. Yet she found her hand outstretched once more as if it had a mind of its own. She could see now the hollowed, sagging eye holes and the old grill worn in such a way that it resembled teeth. It had the macabre look of a skull.

Vader’s helmet.

Rey had seen this before when she’d turned Kylo’s mind probe back on him.

_ Open _ , it whispered inside her head.

Her fingers had barely grazed the ruined material when a vision exploded in her mind’s eye.

_ The ruins of a throne room on an old space station, the sound of waves. _

_ A small, crystalline pyramid lying on the floor in a dark room. _

_ Lightning coming from her own hands, a man’s harsh cackle filling the air. _

_ Her hands covered in blood and beyond them her friends lie motionless on sand. _

_ Another dark laugh, this time resonating from her own throat. _

Rey recoiled, breathing hard. Tears streamed from her face. She turned to flee from the room, yet instead found herself face to face with Kylo Ren.

“I see you’ve met the Master.” He said. “It took less time than I thought for your curiosity to get the better of you. What did he show you?”

“Why should I tell you?” Rey’s fear and anger simmered just below the surface. “I won’t be a pawn of the Sith.”

“You could be so much more than that.” He took another step closer. “How far the mighty Jedi has fallen. Your anger is radiating from you. You have no idea how close you already are. Embrace it.” He raised a hand as though he meant to reach out to her and she stepped away. “You don’t have to be afraid -”

“I’m not afraid of you,” Rey cut him off.

“No, you’re afraid of yourself. Afraid of what you might become.” He placed his hands on the sides of his helmet and triggered the release system, pulling it off. His black hair cascaded down around his face, the scar she’d given him still present, but just barely. His brown eyes searched her face with such intensity, a glint of satisfaction. He knew he was right and he hadn’t even tried to test her mental barriers again.

“You’re still lonely and still haven’t found the answers you seek.” He continued, “Don’t you have friends left in the pathetic Resistance you fight so hard to protect?”

“I won’t help you wake up whatever is living inside this mask,” She ignored his attempts to goad her, but still had to wipe an errant tear from her eye.

“So he did show you his holocron.” He broke eye contact to glance at the mask.

“Your grandfather is dead. Skywalker turned him back to the light. This  _ thing _ is not him.” Rey gestured towards the pedestal.

“Of course it isn’t,” Ren spun on her. “There is no need to recite my family history back to me. A fragment of Darth Sidious resides in it. He learned some very useful things from Darth Plagueis before he bested him and became the true Master. Even you saw first hand how easily Plagueis’ ego led to his downfall a second time.”

Rey puzzled over his meaning momentarily before realization dawned on her with bone chilling terror. Snoke had been an incarnation of Plagueis. Her mind reeled at the weight of this information and she began to feel ill. To stop death was unnatural and far beyond the balance of the Force. 

“No one should have that kind of power.” Rey whispered, her voice trembling.

_ Open _ , the mask stabbed at her mind again. She placed a hand to her head and sucked in air through grit teeth.

“The sooner you stop trying to fight it, the sooner this place will stop draining you.” Ren said. “You’ve grown weaker each day, sleeping more than you’re awake.”

Rey glared at him defiantly.

“Let it fuel you,” He closed the gap between them until she backed into the wall and dropped his voice to a whisper. “You may not end up with blood on your hands if you let me show you how to control it.” 

Rey’s heart stopped. Of course he’d already known what she’d seen because he had seen it too. 

She knew right then she couldn’t spend another minute here. She couldn’t let them break her down until she’d turn on those she cared for the most. She’d rather die. 

Shoving past him, Rey sped into the outer room where the guards still lay motionless. Just as she neared the door, two stormtroopers opened it from the outside, blasters raised. With a sweep of her arm, they were flung backwards into the opposite wall. 

She sprinted for the main entrance. With any luck she’d find Kylo’s TIE fighter and get off this forsaken rock.

Blasters sounded from behind her, holes singed into the walls mere inches from her. Rey’s skin vibrated violently. Ren was following her. She thought she heard him shout something, but her own blood was roaring in her ears. She tried changing directions but quickly found herself in front of another handful of stormtroopers. 

Time seemed to slow as a blaster bolt careened directly towards her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kylo Ren as he emerged in front of her. His hand had been outstretched to stop it with the Force, but it was already too close. At the last moment he slid between Rey and the bolt, his eyes locking with hers as it slammed into his back. He stared at her with the same brown eyes he’d just bored into her with, but they held no more malice. Only a deep worry that faded into relief as he sank to one knee. 

Those were Ben Solo’s eyes.


	4. Consequences

Without thinking, Rey reached to steady Kylo Ren. He had just saved her life for a second time. Ben Solo had saved her life a second time. Her thoughts ricocheted in her mind wildly. Could he still be in there?

Her fingertips barely brushed his shoulders before he slumped the rest of the way down. In another moment they were surrounded by a sea of red troopers and three Knights of Ren rushing in to aid him. Forceful hands and arms gripped her before she could react. She could also feel the cosmic strength binding her as she was then flattened to the ground. Her eyes darted around, seeing the knights focused on her until the butt of a blaster connected with her temple and everything went black.

\--

As consciousness wound itself into her mind an unknown amount of time later, Rey could only feel the dull throbbing of her skull. Repetitive images flashed behind her eyes of her own bloodied hands and Ben Solo staring at her. She snapped her eyes open, worried she was going to be sick.

She found herself in another containment room, strapped to a standing gurney similar to the one on Starkiller Base. Everything in the room was comprised entirely of metal like almost like a galley or a medical ward. While she didn’t see crystals shimmering in the walls, the lack of Force energy was evident. Rey wiggled her arms and tried to twist her torso, but it was no use.

She heard a door open behind her, followed by the unmistakable sound of military boots on the floor. She was met by the greased red hair and pale scowl of General Hux.

“I knew Ren had a Resistance prisoner, but what a treat it was to find out it was their Jedi.” His thin lips stretched into a smirk. “I’m thrilled we are meeting at last.”

Rey said nothing, but only watched as he removed the gloves from his hands and placed them on a table beside her.

“This is the second time you’ve attacked our Supreme Leader. Just between the two of us, I find it unfortunate you left this one alive.” Rey wasn’t sure whether or not she felt relieved at this news. She kept her own gaze controlled.

“For someone who despises treason so much, I’m surprised to hear you say that.” Rey said at last.

“Well, I’m sure once we are done here, it won’t much matter.” The words sent a fresh thrum of fear down Rey’s spine but she couldn’t move enough to even shiver.

“I trust our new restraints are to your liking, hm?” He continued. “I’m sure you’ve already found that the modified lining keeps you from performing your hocus pocus. We used the same technology in the new stormtrooper suits. I think you’ll find it difficult to convince anyone to let you out this time.”

The door opened again and this time a 2-1B medical droid walked in, her trained scavenger eye noting it had a few modifications of its own.

“Now,” Hux turned to her, “I want you to tell me the location of the new Resistance base. It is time for these silly games to end once and for all.”

Rey clenched her jaw and stared resolutely ahead.

“Suddenly at a loss for words?” He motioned for the droid. It’s hydraulic legs propelled forward, a thick needle fixed to its outstretched arm. It was not gentle as medical droids were designed to be, the needle puncturing her arm. She clenched her jaw tighter but did not make a sound. She wouldn’t give him his twisted satisfaction.

“I’ll come back later once this has settled in and we’ll see what you Jedi are truly made of.” With that he turned to leave, giving the 2-1 a last instruction. “Don’t let her sleep.”

The door hissed closed and her heart began to race, adrenaline and some unknown compound coursing through her veins. She needed her training more than ever in this moment. She inhaled deeply through her nose and closed her eyes. They hadn’t been closed for more than a few seconds before 2-1B stepped over and released an electrical current from an attached current generator. Rey yelped as the fulmination entered her thigh, causing it to spasm. The pain caused her whole body to arc as far as the restraints would allow. She’d been lightly shocked a handful of times pulling parts from old ships on her scavenging runs, but nothing like this. She gasped for air as her muscles fought to relax back against the gurney.

Her head continued to throb long after the pain in her leg subsided. She had no idea how many minutes had passed, but her eyes had begun to burn as she grew more fatigued. She also sensed a stinging sensation had begun to fill her from the core. Every fiber of her being pulsed with some unknown urgency she couldn’t fulfill. On top of that, her emotions were running rampantly out of check, the walls blocking her mind under siege from within.

Her unbridled thoughts kept returning to the vision and the memory of Kylo Ren falling before her. The concern in his eyes haunted her, but she’d been wrong before and now felt jaded, unwilling to accept the flickering idea that a piece of Ben Solo still resided within him. It was safer this way, she reminded herself. She’d come to the conclusion that is was nothing more than a ploy to earn some modicum of trust from her. He and the fragment of Sidious needed her in some way that involved his holocron. She now wished she’d paid more attention to the Sith texts.

Finally the door opened again and Hux strode before her again. He looked over her briefly, appraising her condition. Amusement playing at the corners of his mouth.

“I’d ask how you are feeling, but that would be a useless redundancy.”

“Probably better than you feel having to wake up in your own skin every day,” Rey spat.

Hux’s sneer faltered briefly.

“Hit her again,” he said. The 2-1 released another shaft of electricity into her and Rey could not suppress another scream as pain flooded all of her senses.

“Where is the Resistance base?”

Rey opened her mouth to give him a false location, but found the stinging sensation almost as strong as the electric shock. Hux laughed.

“Lies will only bring you more suffering. If you just tell me what I want to know, I’ll consider giving your friends a quick death.” When she tried to remain silent again, he reached a hand up and held her firmly by the jaw, his fingers digging deep enough to bruise. “Well? Spit it out.”

Rey gathered as much moisture as she could in her mouth and hocked it straight into Hux’s face, smiling as it connected near his eye. He wiped it away, disgust evident in his eyes, before wrapping both hands tightly around her throat. 

“You rebel scum are all the same,” he hissed, “Filthy, undisciplined, crass.” As he squeezed, he lifted her head slightly and slammed it back down onto the hard slab, stars bursting across Rey’s vision. She writhed under him, her body’s basic functions unable to perform under his grip. When he released she coughed and sputtered, unable to quantify the afflictions that sounded from so many regions of her body.

“Again.” Before she had even caught her breath, another shock rocked her. This time she screamed so loudly, the entire galaxy could probably hear. Her mind cried out too, desperate for the reprieve of unconsciousness, but the serum inside wouldn’t let that happen either. She could feel her mental barriers decaying slowly. A wave of shame washed over her. She’d fail this test. She wasn’t strong enough, not yet. 

_ Open _ , her shadow whispered from inside.

“Where is the Resistance Base?” Hux asked again.

“Far from here,” Rey thought she could taste blood, the smell of her own singed flesh tainted the air. Well, it wasn’t a lie.

“What system?” Hux’s voice was laced with rage.

“Not this one,” She countered again.

Hux stood back, seething. “I can see you need  _ extra _ attention.”

The door opened again and a Knight of Ren entered, masked as they all were. Another faceless beast.

“Let’s see how you fare against one of your own kind.” Hux stepped back.

The knight stepped forward and Rey suddenly felt as though a battering ram had been swung against her mental barriers. Her head threw itself back against the slab. She ground her teeth, unsure as to whether or not they’d crack under the pressure.

Yet another current rode her and all sense of time and space was lost. For all she knew, she was nothing more than a metal conduit herself at this point, devoid of any sensation save the sterile, inhuman electrical discharge that consumed her. She existed merely as a receptacle of anguish. 

Her breathing was ragged now. Hux and the knight were fuzzy around the edges.

“Where is the Resistance Base?” Hux was all but shouting. 

“In -” Rey’s tongue felt twice it's normal size, her voice hoarse from the strangulation, “a building.”

Hux let out a frustrated growl. The knight placed a hand to her head, the battering ram redoubled it’s efforts. Rey found herself fixated on the line where the ceiling met the wall. Two planes intersecting. The shadow they created together, resolute in its inherent architecture.

_ Let it fuel you _ , Kylo’s words echoed in her head. The secret hollow inside her quaked violently.  _ Open _ , it demanded, her own walls eroding brick by brick. Hux continued his verbal onslaught and when he realized she was beyond verbal response, he had the knight continue his probe. She had retreated further and further within herself until her own wan light was eclipsed by the growing cavity within her. 

“Bring the relic,” She heard Hux say, though he seemed so far away. The knight left the room. Hux’s face came closer, though his features were still hazy. There was something in his hand, but she couldn’t grasp what it was until the long, sharp object pierced her side and her own warm vital fluid rose to meet it. Rey struggled in vain once more and angled her head downwards to see a deep red blossom spreading over her cream-colored tunic.

“Let’s see you withstand this, Jedi.” Hux leaned forward and spoke directly into her ear, close enough for her to see white flecks of foam building around the corner of his mouth. 

The knight returned carrying a black mass in his hands, setting it before them. A familiar stabbing returned, her defenses all but shattered.

“You see, I have allies with gifts too. I know this melted hunk means something to Ren and his followers. What does it mean to you?” 

The same piercing cackle sounded in the air all around Rey, unceasing. The 2-1 stood motionless in the corner, but she could still feel lightning in her veins, just like her vision. Hux did not react to the sound, but she saw the knight cock his head slightly as if he could hear it too.

_ Open or perish _ , Sidious’ voice echoed. Rey’s skin crawled and every wound on her body alit, smarting as fiercely as when they’d been created. Even the hurts within her: her parents abandoning her on Jakku, Unkar Plutt skimming her rations to keep her close to starvation, Luke Skywalker dismissing her, failing to bring Ben Solo back to the light. Her own lack of control over her emotions. 

Something tore within her in a place no blade or needle could reach and another scream pierced the air, high and keening. Hux and the knight stepped away from her. The walls within her were no more than mere shambles, only the memory of a strength she’d barely begun to understand. Rey finally realized the scream was coming from within her, just as when Snoke had crashed through her mind.

Everything she’d built up washed away like the banks of a river during a flood. The only thing left was a new beat rising inside her breast. A new rhythm keeping time with her own frantic heartbeat, but so much deeper. So much stronger. She clung to it as dark spots invaded the edges of her vision. She let it fill her, overriding the her weak, tormented flesh. The torn skin at her side slowly began to knit itself together, though a small trickle of blood remained.

Hux and the knight looked beyond her suddenly.

“What do you mean he’s already awake?” She thought she heard fear in Hux’s voice. 

It didn’t matter. He and the knight were flung violently against the far wall out of the range of her blurring vision and a tall, dark silhouette entered her vision. Leather clad hands stabilized her lolling head. Kylo Ren’s eyes roamed over her, the same concern shining through just like the small spot of light that emitted from his chest. Rey knew she must be hallucinating. She could see it as clearly as the dark aura he kept about himself. A mere shell over so much that lay within.

“Don’t touch me,” Rey mumbled, “Liar” But he didn’t respond. The restraint opened and she felt herself slide forward until his arms caught under her legs and around her shoulders as he lifted her. She could feel the eyes of Vader’s mask watching her from Ren’s shoulder, a sense of gratification in them. 

“You should have let me die,” she whispered with all the air she had left in her lungs before darkness claimed her once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all of the kudos and comments so far! This gives me motivation to keep going. :)


	5. Feeding on the Essence of Hate

In spite of her unconscious state, Rey was still aware of the concentrated pulsing from within her core. What was once only a sliver of her being, now filled and surrounded her like an invisible cocoon. Without the kyber restraints, her own awakened shade could now properly strengthen her.

The skin and organs pierced by Hux’s knife continued to repair themselves. The singed entry wounds from the electrical shocks and the knot on her head from the blaster responded in kind. By the time Ren placed her onto a proper bed, Rey’s awareness neared full consciousness. Yet something told her to remain in stasis, to meditate on the pain that had rent her essence in twain. To feed on it.

She could also feel Kylo Ren in the room with her, pacing. The former subdermal prickling was now replaced by a smooth ripple, almost as though the frequency between them had become clearer. His staggering anger mirrored hers. They both believed with every fiber of their being that Hux needed to die.

As though he could sense the renewed connection, he turned to where she still lay motionless. His hand hovered centimeters above her arm for no more than a second until one of his knights entered with another medical droid. The unit immediately began to poke and prod at Rey, attempting to finish what the new Force energy had begun.

Within seconds, Ren turned and pulled from the same void that surrounded him and lifted the knight against the wall, his feet kicking freely in the air while his hands grasped at the invisible hands around this throat.

“I don’t recall allowing any of you to take orders from Hux. You are my knights, not the First Order’s.” The outrage vibrating through him as he spoke, “What is he even doing here?”

“S-ssuprise inspection of the new stormtroopers,” the knight choked out the words as best he could, “He arrived right after she attacked you.”

Ren dropped him and swore under his breath.

“Are you all blind? She didn’t attack me, I had to stop those poorly trained imbeciles from shooting her. Hux had no business interrogating her without my permission.”

“Supreme Leader, forgive my oversight while you were indisposed. I won’t fail you again.”

“Get out of my sight. I’ll deal with you later.”

The knight did as he was bidden, leaving Kylo to return to Rey’s side. She knew his eyes roamed over her, curiosity blazing as he mutually sensed her just below the surface of wakefulness. His hand hovered over her tentatively once more, this time just above her temple.

Rey’s hand shot up and clamped down tightly on his wrist. She meant to hurt him.

“Don’t even think about trying to read my thoughts again.” She opened her eyes and found they were already level with his. His were filled with apprehension and an edge of something else. Whatever it was, he quickly regained his composure and pulled his arm from her grip. His eyes returned to their humorless default. 

Rey sat up slowly, favoring her side as she took in her surroundings. He had brought her to what appeared to be his personal chambers. She shooed away the droid, fury rolling off of her in waves.

Kylo moved to stand a few paces away, giving her space. She noted he moved carefully as well, his own blaster wound must still be healing.

“A miraculous recovery. You are already beginning to experience the wonders that the dark side can give you access to.” His tone was perfunctory. “I hadn’t intended for you to be  _ enlightened _ in this way.” He bowed his head slightly, as if in apology, “I wanted it to be your choice.”

“My choice?” Rey seethed. “You think if you could have spared me from Hux that I’d be better off with a monster like you? Don’t try to deny that it brought you some joy to see me in agony, defeated at last.”

Ren’s eyes snapped back to hers defiantly, tension surging between them.

“ _ Defeated _ ? You still think I desire some power over you. You are wrong.” His breathing seemed to become more labored as though he were fighting back more words.

“Then why?” Rey was shouting now, impatient.

“You needed incentive,” Ren said, forcing his speech to remain neutral again.

“Incentive?” Rey snarled. “Is that what you’d call tearing down my defenses until I’d join you and become another tool of Sidious?”

“No,” He took a step towards her “To become my equal. There is much for you to learn about the dark side. Sidious can open the way for both of us.”

“Well, here I am,” She was quiet suddenly, speaking more to herself, “A kindred creature of darkness.”

“It was the power of the dark side that saved you.” Ren continued, the faintest hint of emotion still creeping into his words despite his efforts to the contrary. Rey could sense this and saw right through his facade.

“Is this what  _ saving _ is to you, Ben Solo?” She let the venom in her voice drip over his true name. “So be it. I’ve grown tired of your pathetic vagaries.”

Rey used the Force to pull Kylo’s saber from his belt. Once again, he didn’t try to stop her as she marched past him and the door opened before her. She was no longer a prisoner. Not to this place and not to the rules that had bound her as a Jedi.

The lights flickered around her as she made her way down the hallway. She came upon two stormtroopers who raised their blasters instinctively. She ignited the saber and could see the blade reflected in their armor, red on red, as she ran it straight through one’s gut. With her free hand, she made a fist in the air and the helmet of the other crumpled into a mass of broken synthetic material and the pulp of their ruined skull.

She stepped beyond them, her purpose burning like a hot coal within her. She was wielding the fire in her veins after all and it felt...liberating. It didn’t take her long to find Hux still in the same room he’d interrogated her in. She could hear his shrill voice barking orders to another stormtrooper.

When the door opened, his face blanched at the sight of her standing there seemingly unharmed. She maintained eye contact with him as she felled the trooper with Kylo’s blade, delighting in the terror she saw on his face when he realized he was alone. It was only amplified as the chaotic static of the saber lit his features when she raised it to his throat.

“You wanted to see what I was made of.” She disengaged the lightsaber and placed it at her hip, instead summoning Hux’s dagger from his. “Well, I think it’s my turn, hm?” She mocked.

Without hesitation, she plunged his blade deep under his ribcage and held it there until the fear went out of his eyes and he was nothing more than another empty vessel of flesh. She dropped the mundane weapon beside his corpse, blood dripping from her fingers. 

She glanced at the table where Vader’s mask stared at her through its empty sockets. She no longer felt the piercing jabs of Sidious’ energy, only the soft, coaxing whisper.

_ See _ , it now said.

Rey placed her stained hands on the mask fully this time, allowing the vision to consume her. She’d see it for herself again instead of being subjected to Ren’s flimsy half truths. This time the intent of the mask was clearer, as was Rey’s focus. All thoughts of the Resistance were behind her now. She could only move forward, as though this grisly momentum was all she had.

_ Coordinates flashing on the screen of a TIE fighter. _

_ The ruins of a throne room on an old space station, the sound of waves. _

_ A small, crystalline pyramid lying on the floor in a dark room. _

_ Power flooding through her unlike any she has ever felt. _

_ A smoky red crystal exposed within the pyramid, humming to her. _

_ “Be worthy of this power. Open and claim the knowledge you seek,” Sidious’ voice rang from the shadows. “Two it will take and one it will feed.” _

Rey pulled her hands away and tore a long strip from her tunic, wrapping the mask in a makeshift sack to carry it with her. Knowing he already stood behind her again, she turned and strode back to Kylo Ren, handing him his saber. 

“Looks like the First Order needs a new General.”

\--

She returned to Kylo’s chamber and made use of his well-equipped washing facility. She knew he’d be gone long enough cleaning up the mess she’d just made in his hierarchy. As she had nothing other than the now ruined clothes she’d arrived in, she searched the sea of black clothing in his drawers. It seemed obvious that there were no other colors. In one she found an old vest, too simple for the elevated garb of a Supreme Leader. When she touched it she heard the voice of Han Solo echoing in her head.

_ Tomorrow, I’ll show you how to fly the Falcon like we did in the old days. _

Rey knew these words, this memory, hadn’t been meant for her. Still, she ignored the warm familiarity that tried to blossom at the memory of the man that had offered her a place outside of Jakku. The man that Kylo Ren had killed in cold blood. She had been ignorant then in so many ways. 

She let the recollection of the trauma fill her instead, her pulse quickening. The very thought of pain heightened her senses, renewing the vigor that had kept her alive and now propelled her to complete Sidious’ puzzle. She would soon have the answer she’d been seeking for as long as she could remember.

Finally, she pulled a simple black tunic, noting how it smelled slightly of cedar and the leather accoutrements that were stored with the rest of the clothing. It was a bit too large for her, but she fastened it with a belt to make it fit against her form better. She left her hair down, marveling at how long it had gotten. She didn’t need her old rituals anymore.

Rey exited the chamber with the helmet slung over her shoulder and a small blaster she’d also found. This time the stormtroopers she passed did not even acknowledge her. She located the hangar easily enough now that she wasn’t in a panicked rush.

She was unsurprised to find Kylo Ren waiting for her yet again. He was wearing his fractured mask once more.

“Let’s not play this game,” She said coldly. “You know where I’m going. This is what you wanted all along, isn't it?”

“You need guidance more than ever right now. This mission is not one we can undertake lightly.” His voice was distorted slightly by the mask, neutralizing the emotions she was sure were locked beneath it.

“If you mean to stop me then we can finish this here and now. Otherwise, let me go. I’m not going to sit here and wait for orders from  _ two _ masks,” she taunted.

“Two it will take,” Ren echoed the same words Sidious had said from within the mask.

“One it will feed.” Rey said, challenging him. “We both know now that I won’t give up those promised secrets without a fight.”

“Then you are still more naive than I thought,” he said darkly.

Rey could feel him pushing into her mind again. She withheld him with very little effort, letting the shame she’d felt at his last invasion become the very strength needed to repel him. She pushed back with a new ferocity, noting how his body went rigid to prevent being thrown out of her path. They stayed locked in this stance for a few seconds before they both yielded simultaneously.

“We still have one more duel left in us, Ren. Save your strength for then. Your wounds clearly don’t heal as fast as mine anymore.”


	6. The Seam

They entered his personal TIE fighter wordlessly. Of course he wouldn’t gratify her threats with a response. Rey could sense Kylo fighting himself beneath his own barriers. Between that and his wound, she saw how it weakened his will. Her immediate reaction was one of gratification. She wanted him to suffer as she had, wanted to have something to exploit in him. 

She allowed him to take the pilot’s seat while she punched in the coordinates she’d memorized from the vision. They were headed for the forest moon of Endor, the final resting place of the second, incomplete Death Star - and the last known location of Darth Sidious’ corporeal form.

When she finished, she assumed the position of gunner at his rear, though neither of them enjoyed the idea of turning their backs on the other. This was only another temporary alliance. It would take them a few hours to arrive given the lack of a hyperdrive. Rey didn’t want the time to reflect on how the very fabric of her world had been altered so greatly in such a short amount of time. Or on what Hux had done to her and the sickeningly sweet feeling of vengeance that brimmed within her when she’d finally given him what he deserved. 

A small twinge told her she’d gone too far, unable to stop the surge of the hatred she’d felt for him. After everything he’d done, all the people he’d murdered while helming the First Order, she still felt right in her actions. But to take a life in anger...it was against everything she’d read in the Jedi texts, against everything she’d believed before. Now she was truly a murderer. 

Ren was right, she’d wanted to live, even if it meant letting the corruption surrounding her and within her take control. She was just as selfish and prideful as any force-wielder before her. She had failed Skywalker, Leia, her friends... and perhaps most of all she had failed herself. It was as though she’d become feral, ruled by the painful feelings she’d kept hidden to survive all her life. Hidden from all except Kylo Ren who’d used her own longings to manipulate her twice now. 

“Ah, there it is.” Ren spoke from behind her suddenly.

“There  _ what  _ is?” Rey replied, still irked at his presence.

“The seam that connects your dual natures, you still have doubt and conflict. I can sense it.”

“So do you,” She was still on the defensive, but fought to calm her tone and speak rationally. She couldn’t tell if he was trying to comfort her or push her further into the fire.

“I do,” He said suddenly and without hesitation, “But only about you now.”

Rey opened mer mouth to say something, but found she didn’t have the words. The rage was momentarily quieted as if he’d touched her pulse directly. 

“I meant what I said,” he continued, “I did not intend for your knowledge of the dark side to be brought about by violence. Hux deserved the fate you gave him,” she detected a small hitch in his voice, “What he did to you was unforgivable.”

“What I did was unforgivable.” Rey said finally, the anger that fueled her now ebbed and left a slight shake in her hands.

“It was necessary.”

“So I could become your equal? Even after we stood as one before Snoke, you still only believed I could be something if I joined you to ‘rule the galaxy’,” she quipped back to him, feeling the loss of her connection with Ben Solo afresh.

“You are my equal in the Force, but not in knowledge of its application.” He said matter-of-factly.”

“Still, your method of ‘teaching’ leaves much to be desired just like Skywalker’s - only subjecting me to your temper then leaving me with a bunch of old books?” Rey began to bristle again. “You knew the effect Sidious was having on me. You let him coerce me until it became a matter of life and death.”

“It’s true. With you open to the dark side is the only way we’d be able to open the holocron.” Ren was growing frustrated as well, “It's the only way we will both survive the ritual. I -” his voice faltered again, “I don’t want any harm to come to you.”

There it was again. That concern, the weak spot in his carefully crafted armor. She sensed his guilt. Not just for Hux’s actions, but also his own. Invading her mind on Starkiller Base, wrapping the Force around her throat on Mustafar. Something else coiled in her. The tension hanging between them that she’d never truly acknowledged, but knew bound them as strongly as the Force did. He believed the possibilities of that first tenuous connection still existed.

Rey searched her feelings, still bereft of hope as though it had never lived within her. She couldn’t deny the whisper of understanding they had shared between them still echoed in her quietest thoughts - perhaps even an underlying yearning for the potential. Had it, too, been let out of the dark hollow when she was split open? 

She had to push it away. Twisted as things had become, he was still her rival no matter what side of the Force called to her now. She didn’t believe she could trust anyone anymore as much as she had once wanted to. Not Ren and not even her friends in the Resistance. They’d take one look at her and see the monster she’d become.

“I believe you,” Her voice was low when she finally spoke, “But I won’t let anything stand in my way anymore. Even if I must make sacrifices, I will let this path lead me to the answers I seek.”

“I would expect nothing less,” Kylo’s voice was flat. 

They rode in silence the rest of the way, landing on a flat plain overlooking a great sea. Rey stood at the edge of a small cliff, the ruins of the Death Star sat beyond the waves, the exposed remnants looking like a distant mountain range, backlit in the mist by a deep cardinal sunset. This was the sea Rey had dreamed of and the crashing waves she’d heard when she touched the mask. She was so close now. She’d know why her parents left her when she was a child, not taking Ren’s word that it was for drinking money. The ship leaving Jakku’s atmosphere while Unkar Plutt pulled away remained etched in her mind. She wouldn’t need anyone else to help show her her place in all this. She would simply make the life she wanted instead of being at the center of the endless war between the Resistance and the First Order.

Rey tried to imagine such a life and realized she’d be utterly alone again, right back where she started. She finally understood why Kylo had offered to leave it all behind with her. They had each been stuck on their respective paths, neither able to find balance in a galaxy that seemed it would never be at peace. She thought of the dangerous emotions still simmering just beneath the surface. Perhaps she was better off alone. Maybe her parents had the same gifts and saw what she’d become. Maybe that’s why they’d left her.

“It’s already getting too dark to traverse the wreckage, even if we had landed directly on it.” Ren pulled her from her thoughts, “There is a survival kit on board. We can make camp for the night.”

“I have traversed the bowels of countless ships in far worse conditions, I say we go,” Rey’s impatience only added to the long list of internal reflexes she was no longer able to let go of.

“We both need rest if we are to be ready for what will come.” He was already walking back to the ship. Rey hated that he was right. The only resting she’d done in the last two days was if she’d been made unconscious by external forces.

“Fine.” She conceded bitterly, “What do you know of this ritual we must undergo?”

“Only that the crystal will test our loyalty to the dark side before it will open. It will take both of us to pass the test, but only one will be able to absorb the data that it holds inside.”

Rey had started a small fire while he spoke and he brought out rations and water canisters for them to heat over it. 

“Based on the resolve you showed on in the fortress and on the way here, I’m sure you’ll pass with flying colors.” He didn’t look at her as he spoke.

She said nothing in response, too focused on why she mustn’t fail again. This time she only had herself to disappoint. She stared into the fire, feeling as though she had much in common with the chaotic, dancing flames.

When she looked up again, several minutes had passed. Kylo Ren stood at the edge of the firelight, his helmet and tunic resting on the ground beside him. His back was to her as he worked to unbind the bandage that wrapped over his shoulder and around his ribcage. When it finally fell, she could see the entry wound near his shoulder blade. Though it was healing very quickly, it was nowhere near her own wounds that were merely physical scars now. She doubted the emotional scars they both had would ever heal.

Last time she’d seen him this way, she’d blushed like a child and asked him to cover himself with a cowl. Now she said nothing, but she also didn’t stop herself from noting the way the firelight flickered over the muscles of his back and arms. The way the dark waves of his hair still seemed to shine in the waning light. She was suddenly very aware of her heartbeat, but whether it was her indignation or something else, she wasn’t sure. 

He had a tube of bacta gel, but struggled to properly apply it given the location of the lesion. Rey finally stood and took the tube from him.

“You’ll keep me awake all night fidgeting with this.” She placed a portion of the chilled gel onto her hand, but didn’t bother rubbing it between her palms to warm it up. As she spread it quickly over the distressed area, he didn’t flinch. Rey tried not to think about the fact this was the first time she’d truly touched his skin aside from when their fingertips had brushed through the Force connection.

When she’d finished, Rey lay down beside the fire without another word, placing her back to him. She closed her eyes tightly so the colors inside her eyelids would match the tempest that raged on within her.


	7. In the Eye of the Storm

Before the sun had even touched the horizon, Rey was awake and watching a storm roll in, the choppy waves frothing and writhing as they crashed onto the shore below. A crisp breeze caressed the bare parts of her skin, leaving goosebumps on her arms and salt on her lips. The roiling clouds reflected her own turmoil, heavy with the barely contained torrent and it's imminent release. 

She looked over her shoulder to see Kylo Ren still asleep. He fidgeted slightly, his brow creased as an unknown nightmare gripped him. She felt suddenly tempted to kneel down and brush a stray lock of his dark hair away from his forehead, to touch his mind and get a glimpse of what the Supreme Leader truly feared. Her hands clenched into fists instead, curiosity threatening to do her another disservice.

Rey didn’t know what was coming over her. Opening to the dark side had unleashed a flood of new energy tied to once carefully contained emotions, but now their swift current constantly felt like it was going to sweep her away if she didn’t continue to give into it. While part of her was repelled by their nebulous bond and the bitterness it had created between them, it simultaneously drew her in like a moth to a flame. Even as a double-edged sword, it felt like the closest thing to a lifeline she had. Would she be able to bring herself to sever it when the time was right? Would he?

She dropped to a knee silently beside him and let her hand hover above his head, vice winning out and riding her down. She closed her eyes and concentrated, following the channel of energy between them. The air became thick, almost stifling as she tried to catch the chaotic images and sensations flashing through his mind. 

_ The holocron lay open and waiting, the crystal pulsating to the rhythm of his own heart.  _

_ Rey’s eyes meeting his as she raises his saber against him. Fear and longing piercing his core together. _

_ Rey’s eyes now lifeless beneath him, a yellow tint marking her irises. Desperation and anguish rising like bile in his throat. _

She ripped her hand away, breathless after but a momentary glimpse. It was her that he feared - and what he might have to do to her. Daring to even think it, Rey knew now that some part of him also wanted her.

Stumbling to her feet, she backed away, the sound rousing Kylo from his unrest. She turned away quickly, afraid to meet his eyes. It was abundantly clear what must be done. No matter what he felt, he’d kill her to stop her from reaching her new potential and she had no intention of letting him.

“Let’s get going,” Rey said, gathering the vehement distrust around herself like a shell as she turned and strode back to the TIE fighter. Ren said nothing, his eyes unreadable, as he placed his helmet over his head. She noted his hand then brushed the hilt of his saber as if he expected it to be gone. 

This time Rey took the pilot seat and fired up the engines, lifting off before the door had fully closed behind Ren. Rain pelted the windshield in the early morning light as the ship cut through the grey clouds that hung over the Death Star wreckage. The whispers coming from Vader’s helmet became agitated, denoting the sense of urgency. She reached out with her mind towards the twisted metal rising from the sea. What she received in response was a low hum and distant pulsing like she’d felt in Kylo’s dream and when the dark side had finally been unleashed within her.

Rey could hear nothing above this cacophony of Sidious’ fragments calling out to each other - calling out to her and Kylo Ren. She managed to find a flat surface to land on an exterior panel that wasn’t as badly warped. She could hardly believe she was standing on what had once been considered a threat to the whole galaxy.

_ Perhaps it still is _ , Rey thought to herself as a fervor built within her. With the helm slung securely over her shoulder, she and Kylo climbed down through the deteriorated remnants wordlessly, both pulled by the same sinister essence. Every step seemed to amplify the dark side energy that coursed through and around her now. Her mind was filled with the same purpose and vigor that had fueled her when she ended Hux’s miserable life. A moment of realization struck her as the thudding in the walls peaked and matched the pace of her racing heart. 

To unlock the final secret of this place was her destiny. Her entire life had led to this moment, years of scavenging on Jakku making her body limber and strong. She had knowledge of more warships than an Admiral ever could. Beyond that she’d become a fighter long before she even picked up a staff or a saber, her mettle honed in the wake of abandonment and subsequent maltreatment from Unkar Plutt. It’s what made her a survivor. Rey felt more clearly than ever that her attachments to others were all that had stood in her way, all that created conflict and weakness within her. She was truly ready to leave those behind in pursuit of something far greater than she’d ever imagined. The voices all but confirmed this as they beckoned her onward.

The schematics imprinted on her memory and renewed zeal made quick work of their journey and at last they were upon the throne room. The floor had been tilted askew by its final resting place. It was surprisingly intact given the explosion that had brought it to this state. The shattered windows looked out to the where the gloomy sky and water melded as one, the rain pounding onto the broken walkway and decrepit railings. The lower side of the room was filled with a fine, white sand and bits of debris jutting out like mechanical flora and fauna. This area would be submerged come high tide. 

Rey didn’t wait for Kylo to catch his breath behind her, she climbed the sloping ruins toward the antechamber where she knew the holocron awaited. In the very room Luke Skywalker’s legend had reached its zenith, she knew hers was only just beginning. 

Her hands knew exactly what to do, ripping open small side panel that held the control fuses along with a manual override lever that would open it even in the case of electrical failure. She could barely contain the shake in her hands as she gripped it tightly and pulled. A small hiss emerged as long-trapped air escaped around the edges and all other sounds suddenly ceased. Rey was aware that both she and Kylo were holding their breath.

She braced her feet, the angled ground giving her leverage to lift the door upwards. The rusted track squealed in protest, but she did not need to use the Force to aid in it’s movement. When the muted daylight entered the room, the small pyramid lay there as though it were merely another piece of scrap.

When Rey reached out for it, a soft, sanguine light began to emanate from the gold inscribed edges. Just before her hand touched it, the sound of footsteps caused her to turn. Kylo Ren stood unmoving behind her, though his hand wavered again near his saber. His posture was hunched slightly as though something had struck him in the gut. His free hand was clenched over his middle.

“Did you hear that?” She looked beyond him, but now only heard his ragged breathing and the waves crashing against the metal hull. When he didn’t respond, she regarded him again, matching his stance in case he decided to lash out at her. His helmet vibrated with each inhale. He was fighting himself again, his head turned slightly as though he were looking at something that wasn’t there. She could feel the shadowy tendrils of the dark side snaking around him, just as they did her, but she could also sense the torment inside of him. He was still called to the light after all this time. It was a liability he could not afford in the moment’s before their greatest test. Rey knew the hesitation would be his undoing. The thought filled her acutely with vindication.

“Come, Supreme Leader, it is time to complete our training and meet our fate.” She goaded him, letting aggression harden her resolve.

“Rey” He said finally. She paused for a moment, realizing this was the first time he’d spoken her name aloud since asking her to join him on the Supremacy. “There is -”

The sound of footsteps returned abruptly again, louder this time.

“Rey?” It was Finn’s voice, “Where are you?”

“She’s got to be in here somewhere” Rose said.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find her.” Poe’s brazen confidence echoed through the hollowed remains.

Rey’s blood froze as her three former companions entered the throne room, she stepped from the shadow of the alcove moving past Ren. How could they possibly have found her?

“Rey! Thank goodness you’re alright!” Finn ran towards her, the others in tow. His grin bent into a grimace when he saw who stood behind her, his blaster raising to his shoulder. “She’s leaving with us, Ren!”

Rose and Poe had their blasters aimed squarely at Kylo as well.

“No,” Rey said suddenly, “I need him alive.” They all stared at her incredulously.

“He’s the Supreme Leader of the First Order” Poe said firmly, “We can end all of this now if we don’t hesitate!” His finger hovered dangerously close to the trigger. Rey knew if he killed Kylo, she’d be unable to complete the ritual and everything she’d come for would be out of her grasp. Of course Poe thought he could swoop in and save the day, perhaps he even believed she’d finally fall gratefully into his arms. Anger flared again within her, she didn’t need anything else standing in her way.

Rey swept her arm and sent him flying against a collapsed steel beam. He landed unconscious in the sand below, water already beginning to encroach through the gaping windows.

“Rey, what are you doing?” Rose cried out, rushing to Poe’s side. Rey said nothing, her eyes flicking wildly between the remaining two.

“What has he done to you?” Finn took a step towards her. His frightened eyes searched hers, though his blaster remained on Ren, “He’s a killer, Rey. We need to get you out of here.”

“ _ I’m _ a killer,” she said menacingly, calling a piece of broken railing to her hand, “and I’m not going anywhere.” The contorted metal groaned and snapped before landing securely in her palms like a makeshift staff.

Rey could see the hurt and confusion in Finn’s eyes, guilt threatening to break through the barrier of her dark intent. The very first vision Sidious had shown her was coming true. Their blood would soon be on her hands. Her grip began to shake, betraying the crack in her willpower.

“Rey,” Kylo said behind her, “This is the test.”

Her palms began to sweat as Finn took another step towards her. Finn, who had been her first true friend. Finn who always came back for her when she was in trouble. The crack grew wider. She was being torn apart again. Tears brimmed in her eyes, blurring her vision. She grit her teeth and tried to blink them back, realizing he now had the barrel pointed at her. Rey knew he could see what she’d become and he’d only try to stop her too. 

Doubt fled her mind as quickly as it had come again. She raised the rail, ready to strike, when her world suddenly became a sideways blur.

Rey connected hard with the far wall before crashing down into the knee-deep water that was continuing to make its way in more quickly now. She stood, dazed, her eyes glancing at the bed of sand where Rose and Poe had been. It was empty. When she turned her head back to the sloped floor, she realized Finn was gone too. 

Only Kylo Ren remained. He removed his helmet and threw it to the ground, turbulence in his eyes.

“Where are they?” Rey growled.

“They weren’t real,” he replied, his words careful. “It was an illusion meant to test you.”

“Then why did you stop me?” Hostility rang from her.

“I couldn’t let you do it.” His voice quivered, nearly breaking. “I couldn’t stand to see the rest of the light go out in you.”

“Then you are too weak to do what needs to be done.” Rey clenched her jaw again and made for the holocron. 

“I drug you too far down this path with me and for that I am sorry,” he stepped in front of her, “but I won’t let you go any further.”

_ Lies _ , Sidious’ voice breathed from the mask. His energy prodded and nurtured her distrust in Ren. Rey looked down to where it lay then to Kylo’s saber.

He pulled it from his belt and his leather gloves creaked as his fingers wrapped tightly around it. Rey called the rail to her hand again defensively, but he did not ignite the saber.

_ Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies .Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. _

The whispers grew urgent again and the relentless beating had returned to echo Rey’s own frantic palpitations. 

“The first time you saw my fear, you knew I wanted to be as strong as Darth Vader,” He continued before taking a shuddering breath, “but it wasn’t in the way you think.”

“Why are you telling me this now?” Rey wanted to strike out with everything in her, not wanting to hear what he had to say any more. She could sense the tipping of the scales between them.

“Because there will be no one to bring us back if we cross this line. No one to pull us from the darkness the way Luke did for Vader.” His words carried all the vulnerability ever shared between them. “We are each other’s last hope.” 

Rey closed her eyes and pressed the heel of her palm into her temple, trying to drown everything out, to find the answer in the darkness that churned within her.

“I - I don’t need you,” she finally choked out, unable to see beyond the convictions that consumed her. Her grasp stiffened. 

Kylo took a step back from her and dropped his saber to the floor.

“I, too, once meant to bear this burden alone,” his voice grew more assured with every word. “Where I once despised your hope, I came to envy it. I couldn’t see what you saw in me so plainly.” He paused, a truth finally dawning on him that she was too far gone to see anymore. “What I still sense in you now. Let me help you as you’ve helped me.” He extended his hand to her once more.

_ Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies .Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. Lies. _

Rey practically convulsed as violence and yearning pulled her in opposite directions from within. She dropped to her knees, the staff clanging to the floor beside her.

“Let go of your hate”, Ben Solo spoke the very words his uncle had once spoken in this room, Kylo Ren no more than a shadow that stood behind him now. “You have already entered my mind and felt - ”

“Don’t you dare say it,” she cut him off, shaking her head. But it didn’t matter. He wore his feelings openly on his face as he spoke, there was nothing left to hide behind.

The once smooth waves between them crackled and pricked as she fought his words and his pleading eyes. The festering within her told her to never trust, to never want again. It would only leave her open to her old fears. Fear of loss, fear of betrayal, fear of another abandonment.

_ Never _ , Ben’s eyes imparted with an intensity that matched and exceeded any enmity that Kylo Ren had ever conveyed. 

“We can still end this now and forge a new path together, just as I offered before.” 

“You’re lying again!” Rey grabbed his discarded saber as she stood once more and ignited it, tears cutting a path down the dirt smudged on her face.

“Not to you. Not now and never again.” He took a step closer then went to his knees so she was above him, his palms turned slightly upwards in supplication.

Rey raised the saber above her head, knowing he wouldn’t stop her if she chose to cut him down. Her conclusion reached at last, the blade arced down swift as an executioner’s axe, a primal scream escaping her throat. She rode it down straight through the center of Vader’s helmet.


	8. Broken Things

As Rey clutched the saber, the crackling red beam wavered violently. A surge of energy burst from the cleft helmet, riding it up and into the containment matrix. The already cracked kyber couldn’t withstand the reversed emission and the hilt exploded, her hands releasing it at the last moment in a vain attempt to shield herself. Despite her raised arms, several metal fragments blew past her face, one leaving a deep gash on her left cheek and minor burns on her forearms. 

When the afterimage finally left her retina and the ringing in her ears faded, she steadied herself by placing a shaking hand on the skewed wall. Ben had fallen backwards into the alcove and been protected from the blast. He looked up at her and nodded a single time, eyes afire with a conviction they shared once again. 

Just like the Skywalker saber, only two broken pieces of kyber remained. Ben scooped them up along with the shattered hilt and tucked them away in a small pouch beneath his tunic. When he noted the cut on her cheek, he lifted his hand as though he meant to wipe away the blood, but Rey took a step back. Her thoughts and emotions still reeled from what she’d almost done to her friends, real or not… and what she’d almost done to Ben. She still wasn’t ready to forgive him, or to forgive herself.

He didn’t press her, finally looking away as she quickly wrapped her arms with the same strip of fabric that had held the helmet. Neither of them said anything for a few moments. What words could adequately convey the harrowing threshold she’d nearly crossed - the same edge she still teetered on? Her hands trembled as she looked past him towards the holocron. He turned and faced it with her.

“This is what my grandfather started,” Ben finally said, “This is what I am meant to finish. What  _ we  _ are meant to finish.”

Rey swallowed hard and tilted her head in assent. A stubborn sob fought to release itself from her throat, barely contained like the strife within her. The rising tide and relentless downpour of rain continued to shrink the space around them in earnest.

“Whatever we do, we need to do it quickly or soon we’ll be underwater.” Her voice came out hoarse. 

The holocron must have sensed their intent again as the same crimson glow poured from the lattices.

“No matter what comes out, just hold on to our connection,” Ben looked her in the eyes again and Rey focused on the flow between them. Where she’d once felt a cool rippling or prickle like frost in her veins, there was now an underlying warmth as though it were skin to skin contact. She didn’t try to resist it, yet just as before, there wasn’t time to explore the nuances of their tumultuous allegiance.

He closed his eyes tightly and angled his hand over the throbbing black pyramid. Rey was hesitant to close her eyes, afraid of what she’d see within the shadows that waited on the outside of her fragile control. Taking a deep breath, she plunged her hand into the murky Force energy as Ben had done moments before.

The shade flitted and folded around her, grazing her wounds slowly, beckoning. 

_ Open,  _ Sidious coaxed again.

The link between them undulated, crashing into Rey and dragging at her like a riptide. She could feel the holocron so strongly, it was visible in her mind’s eye. The edges vibrated until the entire pyramid was a triangular blur. She could even see the essence of the old emperor, hovering before them as a great clouded specter - the purest fibers of scourge and corruption.

“You are nothing without this power,” Sidious said, sounding as though he were there in the room with them. “Knowledge won’t open for the unworthy. Your destiny will be lost to the ages and you will fade from memory, neither feared nor loved.”

Rey thought of her mother whose face she couldn’t even remember. Only hands letting go and the ship flying away. Tears leaked from the corner of her eyes in spite of being clamped shut. She felt Ben receive the same words, but knew they held a different meaning for him. The connection between them quavered again in response. Sidious meant to play on Ben’s fears about Rey, capitalizing on their mutual uncertainty. Her gut felt twisted like the wreckage around them.

“Don’t listen, Rey,” Ben said haltingly, his breathing labored under the strain of concentration. “Reduce it to dust.”

Rey was struck suddenly by another image of the stormtrooper’s helmet concaving under her will. The thought made her feel sick to her stomach, her internal focus awry as she was haunted by her own frailty. She began to close her fingers in the same motion as though it could contain the root of the holocron’s energy. The temptation was strong, so strong. The answers were within her grasp, all she had to do was channel the dark side and take it. Their ethereal link pulled taut for a moment as though it might snap.

Opening her eyes, Rey realized Ben was staring at her. She was stunned to see trust in his eyes even as they both held more power than either could imagine. Their hands both hovered before them in the same partial fist.

“As one,” His voice was barely above a whisper, but still forceful, carrying with it a promise.

Rey merely nodded again, all the communication she could muster without breaking down and losing all of her faculties.

Their hands closed simultaneously, mirroring each other with perfect symmetry, and the once smooth planes of the holocron’s obsidian framework seemed to liquefy before disintegrating outwardly into a thousand tiny shards. The remaining kyber seemed to dimple and warp, spinning on an uneven axis and glowing like an ember as it was released from the casing and began to collapse in on itself with their combined pressure. A thick static energy emanated from the void and filled the air, lifting Ben and Rey off the ground. They seemed to be floating in space for an eternity until the electrical current snapped suddenly and discharged itself through their bodies with a loud CRACK! 

Reality dimmed as Rey careened backward, the air sucked from her lungs. The water entering the room was deep enough now that it broke her fall and prevented it from being lethal. Submerged in the deepest part of the room, her body entered survival mode and she kicked until she broke to the surface for air, gasping. Her limbs felt heavy as though they were made of lead. She knew a jolt like that should have killed her. The entire structure made a terrible grinding noise and pulled her from her internal inspection. The energy surge had been too much of a disturbance on the deteriorating framework and now it threatened to collapse around them.

Rey realized she didn’t see Ben, her head pivoting wildly. She moved frantically, half swimming and half wading when she could stand. Finally, she saw his prone form floating a few feet away. The metal groaned again and she swore under her breath.

Diving to Ben, she wrapped her arms beneath his and pulled him to the surface. The way they’d come in was now inaccessible. With one arm secured around his torso and the other propelling them through the water, Rey made for the window openings. Pieces of debris began to fall, splashing down into the water around them. It felt as though she were moving through molasses, fighting the tide, until she was able to grasp a metal pane. She had to submerge again to guide them under and through, barely fitting. 

She kicked only a few times before the section they’d been underneath gave way completely and fell in on itself. Rey coughed and sputtered, angry waves crashing over her as she struggled to keep them both afloat. Her hands felt numb in the frigid water, barely able to grip some of the smooth exterior segments as she navigated them both around the side of the Death Star. She hoped a flat place to climb out wasn’t far.

By the time she thought her arms couldn’t move any further, the TIE fighter came into view. The sea was practically level with it now and she was able to hoist herself up before pulling Ben onto the panel with her by his wrists.

Every muscle burned with fatigue and Rey’s whole body shivered from the cold, on the verge of its own collapse. She couldn’t feel her connection with Ben. She dropped to his side, beyond connecting to the Force with her higher mind, driven purely by adrenaline.

“No no no no no no no!” She shouted into the wind between chattering teeth. Her mind flashed between all the manuals she had ever read on Jakku. Having glossed over something so seemingly useless on a desert planet, she struggled to recall the correct steps to take. Rey tilted his head back. Her hands came together and pressed firmly down on his chest over and over, willing Ben’s eyes to open. They did not, nor did his chest rise and fall. 

His lips were impossibly pale, almost blue, as Rey bent her mouth to his. When she exhaled into him, she reached out for their thread again as though her intent alone would be enough to mend it. She couldn’t allow herself to think she was too late, not after all they’d already been through. Ben had pulled her back from an impossible abyss and now she had to do the same. Realization crashed over her like a wave far larger and more powerful than any in the raging sea surrounding them. 

Even amidst all of the affliction their attachment brought, she could no longer fathom a world without Ben Solo.

Rey pulled her face away and resumed the chest compressions, fresh tears mingling with the rain and brackish air that whipped about her face, stinging the cut there. Suddenly, water erupted from his mouth and he rolled to his side, heaving until he could suck in air. Ben sat on his hands and knees for several seconds before he stood and turned towards her. 

The soaking, dark waves of his hair hung heavily around his face and shoulders. His eyes were wide, burning again with recollection of all that had transpired in the throne room. There was a disarming beauty in his raw demeanor. Rey felt as though a part of her was truly seeing him for the first time.

“We need to get back to land,” she said before her thoughts could betray her.

“Yes,” His voice was gravelly from the salt water that had grated it's way out of him. “This isn’t over.”


	9. Lingering Shadows

Back on solid ground, Rey couldn’t fight the feeling that everything was still unbalanced. The storm had passed around them physically, but there remained a deep disquiet that rang through her to the bone. She felt somehow heavier than before.

They’d moved their camp away from the savanna and into rolling, forested hills for more shelter. There had been an old Imperial outpost here, but after being raided by the former Rebel Alliance, it was abandoned and reclaimed by the Ewok population. Ben led them to a small cave instead, noting that the accords his family made here were no longer his. Rey could sense the underlying regret, but said nothing. They both had many demons to overcome.

She busied herself making the fire, desperate for warmth. Ben was scouting the perimeter, ensuring they wouldn’t be disturbed. Rey was grateful for a moment alone, though she wasn’t sure where to begin in unpacking the last twenty four hours. There was still doubt and anger within her, but they’d become overpowered by a great sorrow and self-loathing. The whispers of Sidious still haunted her mind. Killing Hux was one thing, but she’d also been ready to murder her friends for the overwhelming rush that the dark side promised. Her palms still itched at the thought of feeling the holocron’s secrets so close. Then she remembered the look in Ben’s eyes and the stirring it had awoken in her. When she believed he’d been lost to her again...that grief had been stronger than the frenzy Sidious had fostered in her. Something in her wanted to know what that look promised far more than what the holocron had offered. She pushed the thoughts from her mind, feeling foolish.

The fatigue was beginning to take its toll and Rey struggled to keep her eyes open as Ben finally reentered the cave with more rations and a handful of berries from the surrounding woods. She noted that his hair still seemed to be soaking and wondered if it had started to rain again.

“There is a small stream just west of here if you care to wash off the salt.” He answered, the mystery solved.

“There’s nothing obligating us to each other anymore and you’re going to let me wander off into the woods unattended?” Rey asked, part of her still expecting Kylo Ren to re-emerge from within him and reclaim her as a captive of the First Order.

“You could have already left me to drown at the Death Star wreckage,” He met her eyes. “Thank you for saving my life, by the way.”

Rey had to look away first. A heat had begun to rise in her cheeks.

She stood and made for the cave entrance without a response.

“When you return,” He said after her, “I need to tell you everything I saw. I fear there is more that must be done.”

“Alright,” Rey only glanced back quickly before exiting and turning west into the thicket of trees, suddenly alert and reenergized.

As she stripped down and entered the water, Rey closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. The sounds of the forest and cool water eased her in a way that she hadn’t felt since before Leia’s capture. The smell of the mossy soil grounded her as she took stock of her body’s newest afflictions. Just as she’d healed on Mustafar, the gash on her cheek was no more than a thin line of scar tissue and there were no traces of the burns on her arms. It surprised her to find that there was a red, fractaled marking covering much of her torso where Sidious’ final energy surge had struck her. It almost resembled a tree snaking up from her navel and encircling her left breast. She felt as though her outside was beginning to reflect the damage she carried inside as well. Dipping completely under, she let the water engulf and surround her, hoping it’s purity could wash away more than just the remnants of the sea.

Once she had finished bathing, Rey felt a little more human again, though her body and soul still ached. Her shade swirled, hovering over the remnant of waning light within her. It didn’t resemble hope, or even the compassion she’d tried to forsake and failed. It was merely the line she’d been kept from crossing. The whispers of doubt began again in earnest.

_ Monster _ , her own voice repeated back to her.

She ran her fingers through her hair before redressing. Thankfully the tunic and her undergarments had mostly dried as well. The glow of the cave greeted her and Ben sat with his eyes closed, meditating. She went and sat down opposite him, feeling heat from the flames before her and also their underlying Force bond.

She closed her eyes and reached out, brushing the delicate thread between them. Rey could still feel his conflict, but there was an unmistakable presence of light - much more pronounced than she had ever felt in him before. He had found the hope she’d lost.

“Are you ready?” Ben’s voice floated over to her and she opened her eyes.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she replied more quietly than she’d anticipated.

“I believe the essence of Sidious, at least a part of it, may have attached itself to me when we destroyed the holocron.”

Rey felt as though the air had been sucked from her lungs again, unable to reply. Her brow creased in confusion.

“We crushed the shell and the kyber, but it was too simple,” he continued, “Sidious would never take the chance that temptation alone would ensure his success.”

Ben came and sat beside her and she angled so they faced each other on their knees. He extended his ungloved hands to her.

“It will be easier if I show you. Though I know you will see much more,” He searched her eyes, “I need you to trust me.”

“Ben, I...”Rey’s fingertips hovered over his palms momentarily, a small chill running up her spine at the memory of the last time they’d touched this way. Finally, she nodded, closing the distance and placing her hands in his, seeing beyond his face and into the shared vision. 

_ “I know what I have to do, but I don’t know if I have the strength to do it.” _

_ The feeling of Kylo Ren’s saber in his hands as fear and anguish course through him. _

_ Han Solo triggering the lightsaber so Ben wouldn’t have to. _

_ His father’s eyes emptying of their life as he fell into the depths of Starkiller Base. His calloused hand sliding away from Ben’s cheek.  _

_ A reflection of himself, from within his mask. A feeling of confidence, power, control....of being hidden. _

_ Rey sitting in a stone hut, hand outstretched towards him with tears in her eyes. Sadness, understanding. _

_ Rey pulling her hand away in Snokes throne room. Loss, frustration, longing. _

_ Striking down Skywalker’s projection. Rage boiling his blood, underscored by bitterness. Disappointment. _

_ Hux standing over Rey’s squirming form. Hatred and disgust rising like bile in Ben’s stomach, mingling with a fear of loss. _

Time moved with a haste in the memories, punctuated only by the intense emotions. Rey barely had time to process what she was seeing and feeling all at once.

_ Standing before the holocron filled with a great desire and a sense of finality.  _

_ “No more doubt, only power,” Sidious whispers in his ear. “Use her to complete your training at last.” _

_ The ghosts of Luke and Anakin Skywalker are standing beside him. “She is your test, Ben,” Anakin says, “If Sidious succeeds and seduces her to the dark side, you will never forgive yourself and you will both be lost. Don’t underestimate him.” _

_ “A thousand generations live in you now, this is your fight. You mustn’t fail her as I did. Hurry now,” Luke whispers as they both disappear. _

_ Rey raising a broken railing to strike down the same former stormtrooper he’d once tried to kill, the same torment eating away at her like acid. _

_ Holding the holocron’s energy with his own as Rey stands beside him. Fear, longing, the hope of a new beginning. _

_ Water rushing up to meet him before darkness. The echo of Sidious’ laughter ringing in his ears. _

Rey was ripped from the vision by an abrupt and savage burning sensation in her core. 

“Something’s wrong,” She fell backwards gasping and clutching her middle. Her eyes clenched shut as pain gripped her from the inside.

“Rey?” Ben breathed, “No...” He sounded so far away.

She could feel her body being lifted up, but she’d lost all control of her limbs. When her eyes snapped open, she could see Ben standing before her as she hovered above him. He took a step back and clenched his fists.

“Your eyes…” he was furious, “Sidious.”

“Yes, you were right that a part of me escaped. But I have chosen another.” Rey could feel her body speaking, but it was not her voice that emerged from her, “It’s a shame that another Skywalker set out to best me, wasting the potential that only I could teach you. This time, I’ll make sure I take something of yours with me.”

Rey wanted to scream, terror and hostility rising as she tried in vain to regain control of herself. 

“Mmmm, this vessel is strong with the dark side.” Sidious’ voice rumbled from deep within her chest. “She will be more than adequate.”

“Rey, you have to fight him,” Ben’s jaw clenched. His hand rose and she felt him try to pierce the ebony barriers the Sith had built around her from within.

“Careful now, young Solo. If she resists the possession, I’ll only drain her faster.” His voice held an air of amusement to it. “Either way, she is mine now.”

“She still has light in her.” Ben said, his voice firm. “You underestimate her just as Snoke did.”

Another cackle echoed through the cave.

“Oh, my my my,” Sidious said when he had composed himself, “Your eyes betray you. You have come to love her. That will only make this more fun.”

Rey’s hands lifted before her and she could feel the electricity building in her palms. Lighting burst from her fingertips and struck Ben, throwing him into their supplies on the far side of the fire. He rolled and coughed before rising to his knees, the hilt of the Skywalker saber now in his hands. He palmed the large fragment of kyber as he stood.

“Rey, I know you’re in there. Hold on to the light.”

Another burst of electricity arced from her and just before it struck him, Ben raised the kyber in his fist. The crystal seemed to absorb the energy, burning hot like a coal in his hand. He screamed, but did not let go until the current stopped.

Rey could see the agony in his eyes as the firelight danced on his face, but no fear. Beyond the pain, she could see there was still that trust illuminating them. From within herself, she reached blindly for the small spark that now dwelled so deeply inward, trying to lock onto it. Her arms dropped and her feet lowered to the ground. Sidious’s shade rippled around her, sapping the very life from her. She wrapped her arms around her middle, as though she could combat his invasive presence from the outside. Even as a fragment of the Emperor, his Force only grew stronger as he fed from her.

“Ben, you need to finish this.” She managed to plead in her own voice, wheezing, “You have to kill me.” 

He ran to her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

“Rey, I -” He tried to shake his head.

Without warning, Rey’s arm shot up again and the menacing energy of Sidious lifted Ben by his throat.

“Enough!” He hissed through her. “I’ll finish you and then snuff her out once and for all.”

The hatred she felt coursing through her blazed so strongly, it was almost cold. A gray haze began to gather at the edges of her vision. Rey reached again for the spark. Focusing all of her intent. She pushed it outward, bit by bit, expanding through the darkness. 

_ I will be no one’s vessel _ , the thought radiated from her. 

It was there again all at once, that strength she’d nearly forgotten. A memory grasped at her and she was suddenly lying alone in her hammock on Jakku, hunger eating at her stomach. A small thought wound around her heart. She would rise again in the morning, one day closer to leaving. She just needed to keep going.

_ Rise again _ , her own voice whispered as though she spoke directly to the growing flare.

The shade wavered again and Ben dropped to the ground as Rey’s body sank to its knees.

“No,” Sidious’ voice held the edge of panic. “My secrets will be lost to you. The effort will kill us both.”

_ If that’s what it takes _ , her thoughts responded.

The shade began to close in on her know, squeezing her insides. Rey gasped and curled in on herself, focusing on the light as Ben had told her. Even as the pain blinded her, she could see his brown eyes so clearly in her mind, the tenderness and humanity they held again. She could feel his hands on hers as she stared unseeing into the void between darkness and light.

“Hold on,” he said above her now, the bond finally reconnecting through Sidious’ fractured walls. “I’m here.”

Rey’s back arched violently as the luminosity within her ignited, expelling the last of the shade until she lay on the ground, breathless. Her eyes stung and she couldn't seem to open them. Every ounce of energy she had was spent. 

“Rey?” She felt Ben’s hands on her face now.

She managed to open her eyes for a moment to see him hovering above her. His eyes darting between hers, searching for any hint of yellow in her irises.

“It’s just me,” she said. Her words seemed to echo. She tried to reach up and touch his face, to reassure him, but her hand only made it halfway before falling back down again. “I know you didn’t kill Han Solo.”

Finally, her eyes closed again as exhaustion pulled her under at last.


	10. As One

_ Rey stood at the edge of a great dune looking down on the Sinking Fields of Jakku. Only a few steps and they’d pull her under, a certain culmination. She’d forgotten why she came. Clearly there were no fallen ships to salvage. All she knew was that she was thirstier than she had ever been. Her throat rubbed together as through it were coated in sand. She turned around but could see nothing for miles. What was she waiting for? _

_ She felt her heart flutter and a small tugging as though there were a string tied around her middle. It pulled her backwards, away from the Sinking Fields. She looked down but could only see her white tunic and belt. Nothing that could cause such a sensation. It carried an air of familiarity, but she couldn’t quite place it. When she turned around she was instead surrounded by a deep, snowy wood. Flakes fell onto her arms and face as she looked up in wonder, marveling at the rapid change in temperature. She heard a lightsaber being ignited and followed the sound, the thread guiding her. Stumbling on a root, Rey fell to her hands and knees. _

_ As she rose to dust herself off, her surroundings had changed again to a small stone hut. Before her was a dark-haired man dressed all in black sitting beside the fire, his hand extending towards her. She now realized the thread led directly to him. _

_ “I thought I’d find you here, before I’d made an even bigger mess of everything,” he said calmly. “This was the first time you saw hope in me.” _

_ “Who are you?” Rey asked, though perhaps a part of her already knew. _

_ “It’s complicated,” his eyes masked a hurt she didn’t understand, “but right now, I need to get you out of here.” _

_ Rey hesitated, trying to make sense of what he’d said. _

_ “We don’t have much time,” he extended his hand again and took a step towards her. _

_ She took a step back and fell onto the stone sleeping platform protruding from the wall, “I need you to trust me.” _

_ Rey knew she’d heard those words before. She could feel the stone go cold beneath her hands, the dryness returning to her throat. When she reached out to take his hand, her body was heavier all the sudden. All she wanted to do was sleep. She lay down, feeling the hard slab pressing back into her skin as though it would absorb her. His hand was so warm. He didn’t let go even though she knew hers was cold as death. _

_ “Don’t let me go,” she managed to croak out as everything grew dark around her. _

Rey shivered violently, the chill of the cave assaulting her skin as consciousness descended upon her. She could hear the crackling of the fire and the wind in the trees just outside.

“Never,” his voice came from above her more solidly now. His hand still clutched hers tightly.

Her eyes burned as she opened them and she blinked several times before she could see clearly. Ben crouched beside her on his knees and exhaled quickly as though he’d been holding his breath for a long time. Memory flooded her mind and with it came a tidal wave of contradicting emotions. She pulled her hand from his, embarrassed, and tried to sit up. Rey realized he’d covered her with his cloak.

“Water,” she managed to say. He handed her the canister and she drank too quickly, cold liquid pouring over her chin and down her front as she gasped from the shock.

“You’ve been unconscious for nearly two full days,” Ben said, his own emotions carefully masked.

“It almost feels like it was a nightmare,” Rey pulled herself up the rest of the way, and hugged her knees to her chest for more warmth. 

“What do you remember?” He asked tentatively.

She pulled his cloak further around her shoulders, then clenched her hands into fists to stop the tremors.

“I tried to kill you,” Rey said, shuddering from the memory...the lack of control.

“That was Darth Sidious,” Ben said following her eyes, not letting her look away.

“But he fed from my darkness,” tears began to pool in the corners of her eyes, “It was my doubt, my wrath he struck you with.”

“And it was your hope that destroyed him,” Ben said. “You finished it, Rey.”

He placed his hand on her shoulder, the heat radiating from his palm and reaching her core. Her flame was there again, burning alongside his. The impact of it was so overwhelming, she needed to stand and move. On trembling legs she strode past him to the fire, not knowing what else to do. 

“I can feel the light calling to me again, but the shadows of my actions…and the things I almost did.” Rey stared into the smoldering embers before her. “How will I ever forget them?”

“That’s all they are...shadows,” He said softly to her back, “You didn’t go through with it, even when the dark side pulled at its strongest.”

“But I wanted to.” The tears finally began to spill and her voice shook with the rest of her body. “Just like General Hux, I wanted to kill them. I wanted to kill you.”

“And now?” Ben’s voice was barely above a whisper.

Rey squeezed her eyes shut and bent her head to her hands until she could make sense of all that she felt, all that she wanted to say. She could at last understand the true strength within him, having walked the line between light and dark for so long. Alone as she had been, but also tormented for years with the expectations of his lineage - seen as a tool for those who only wanted to manipulate and corrupt. Everything she’d ever sensed in him was so vivid and clear now. Han Solo had seen it too, he couldn’t let Ben cross the line. The same line that he then stopped her from crossing. In a galaxy that was only black and white, they had to meet in the middle. They had to create the balance. 

She felt all at once as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders, the clarity ringing through her and bubbling up into her chest. Together they could begin to mend old injuries. She only needed to look ahead now.

“Now, I can see at last why we must let go of the past and find a new way,” she raised her face and turned to him, knowing he could feel her understanding in their connection now. “As one,” she echoed his promise from the Death Star. 

In a single stride he was upon her, his mouth crashing into hers while his hands wound into her hair and around her waist. Rey responded with a new eagerness, cupping his face in her own hands, completing the embrace.

Her heartbeat thundered through every fiber of her being. When she wrapped her arms fully around Ben’s neck she could feel him pulsing with her and into her through the inflamed bond. She was aware of the blood coursing through her body, heat rising around her and within her. This energy was unlike anything she had ever experienced and her mind couldn’t begin to equate it while his tongue danced along her lips, beckoning her to open in a new way.

She pressed herself further into him, plundering the cavern of his mouth until they backed sharply into the wall of the cave. They broke apart, both gasping for air. His eyes held a new, primitive eclipse in them that was all too human - the light and the dark.

She hesitated for a moment, wondering if she’d hurt him knocking him into the rock but instead he gently stroked the remainder of the tears from her cheek.

“Rey, I -” Ben breathed, barely able to control the waves of desire that radiated from him.

“Later,” She said, all hesitation gone from her.

She closed the distance again, pulling his face back down to her and breathing him in. He responded by lifting her fully from the ground, one hand returning to the base of her neck, the other braced on her thigh as she wrapped her legs around him wantonly. He lowered her down slowly as though he were afraid to break her. When he looked at her again, Rey felt as though his wild eyes pierced her to the very core. She was certain he didn’t need the Force to sense the same craving that was etched plainly on her face. 

Her hands rose to touch his face as though her fingers could say all that her words could not. He leaned into her palm, inhaling and brushing his lips against the inside of her wrist. She tucked a lock of hair away from his face so she could properly see into his eyes. The depth of his stare transcended all measurement of the galaxy. Rey wasn’t sure if her heart had entirely stopped beating. When she remembered to breathe again, she gave a small nod of assent, unable to speak.

Ben lowered himself to her and she could feel his growing hardness pressing against her stomach even through the combined bulk of their clothes. She reached down and undid his belt, hands clumsy and inexperienced. When it at last came free, she pulled the tunic over him and tossed it back above their heads. Her fingertips lightly traced the scars that marred the smooth plane of his chest, lingering on the one she gave him. She lifted her head and pressed her lips to it. He closed his eyes, his breathing growing labored.

When he regained his composure, his hands traced her jaw agonizingly slow before they made a path between her breasts and down to the base of her tunic. He undid the belt she’d pilfered on Mustafar and removed both articles from her. Ben’s eyes locked onto hers as he pulled her smallclothes away from her breasts. Rey’s heart thudded as though it would break through her chest, never having been this exposed in front of another.

He bent and kissed her again, his lips impossibly supple as they followed the path his hand had taken moments before. A shiver ran up her spine and Ben splayed his hands over her stomach before bringing his mouth back to hers. Rey locked her own hands behind his neck and arched her body up into his, her own need answering his with a ferocity that surprised her. This was a hunger, a pull stronger than anything she’d ever felt when the Force called to her. He was like a star, his gravity drawing her in with his own essence. She had no will to fight such a feeling.

His broad hands moved to cup her breasts and a moan escaped her. He used his thumbs to make small circles over her areola until her nipples were rigid. Her arms moved down the firm muscles of his back, nails pressing in slightly and eliciting a rumble from deep within his chest. He migrated steaming kisses down her neck, teasing her collarbone with a light flick of his tongue. Rey thought she’d come undone, but he carried on down the valley between her breasts again, fingers continuing to press and knead. For as cold as she had been, her skin now felt as though it were ablaze at every point of contact he created.

When she thought he could go no lower, his hands tugged at her breeches, sliding them over her hips then past her ankles until she lay entirely bare before him. The same heat she felt shone in Ben’s eyes as the firelight’s reflection sparked over his dark irises. Rey rose to her knees and claimed his mouth with hers again, hands insistent to have him unclothed as she was. She let her hands trace down his back until they sunk beneath his waistline and roamed over the soft curve of his buttocks, pulling their infernos nearer to each other. His jaw vibrated as he groaned into her mouth.

Bringing her hands around the narrow line of his hips, they pulled his trousers down as the tumescent length of him sprang free. She knew enough that her fingers encircled the shaft gently, exploring the velvety skin there. He hissed in a breath as she carefully squeezed and began to move her hand. His eyes closed and his head tilted backwards. Rey pressed her palm over his chest, guiding him backwards until he was beneath her. He stared up at her, face slack with an awe that almost paralleled the look he’d given her when she bested him on Starkiller Base.

Climbing atop his thighs, she leaned into him feeling the erection press against her own sex, slick with moisture. There was a building pressure there and her hips wanted to rock into his as she molded herself over him. Her hands pressed his down beside his face, palm to palm. She kissed him deeply as though she could pour herself into him. He then threaded his fingers through hers as though he understood, gripping as if he meant to meld their bodies together.

Ben suddenly latched a leg over hers and rolled so he hovered over her again. They moved more quickly now, the urgency rising between them. He drug a single finger down to the thatch of hair between her legs, sliding through the moisture at the crease between her folds there. Rey’s hips nearly bucked in response, the need engulfing her now. He added a second finger, massaging and circling before entering her slowly.

Rey let out a soft exclamation then and again when he pulled his hand away, the pressure nearing its peak. She ached for him in so many ways she couldn’t comprehend. She ached to find a release with him. He guided the head of his throbbing member down into her wetness, his eyes questioning her again while his face wore a fragile mask of control.

“Yes,” Rey exhaled as he gradually sheathed himself inside of her. There was a slight twinge of pain, but has he began to move his hips it was quickly replaced by the same escalating pressure. Her legs wrapped around him once more, instinct taking over as their rhythm continued to build. She buried her face in Ben’s shoulder, nails digging more forcefully into the skin of his back as they neared a crescendo.

Finally, her head fell back until they were eye to eye again, waves of pleasure rolling outward from her core as she fell through his eyes into space. He shuddered suddenly and fell atop her, spent. They both took in ragged breaths until the fire nearly died out beside them. 

With their bodies entwined in the darkness, Rey could feel something close to joy illuminating the thread between them.


	11. Mending

Dawn crept into the grotto slowly, almost as though it knew of Rey’s secret desire to hold onto the night she had shared with Ben. She stared at his face as he slept, in awe of how many contradictory emotions she’d felt over the same visage in all of their time together. How many secrets he had kept from her, even without the mask. Her fingers hovered over his dark eyelashes, wanting to have him stare at her as he had in the heat of their passion, to pierce her very soul again. To give her the answers he couldn’t say aloud. 

Instead, she rose from his side and pulled her clothes on quickly, chilled as they were from residing on the damp floor of the cave all night. When she arrived at the stream, she disrobed once more and entered gingerly, knowing it would be frigid this early in the morning. The water felt like icy silk, rippling up over her, caressing away the stiffness from lying on the hard ground. Rey’s thoughts of Ben warmed her from the core so she did not shiver.

She closed her eyes, letting the dappled sunlight filter down through the trees and over her eyelids. The sounds and smells of the forest soothed her again in spite of the nagging thoughts and feelings still lingering in her.

“Do you mind if I join you?” The deep timbre of Ben’s voice nearly startled her out of the water.

Rey instinctively covered herself by crossing her arms, but then relaxed and shook her head.

Ben stripped down unabashedly and entered the stream beside her. Given his height, the water barely reached his navel at the deepest parts. He knelt with her in the soft current so they both only had their heads and shoulders exposed.

They sat in a comfortable silence for some time before she waded over to him and placed a hand at the back of his neck. He leaned into her touch and dipped his head into the water while she massaged his submerged scalp. He shuddered briefly as though no one had ever touched him with this level of intimacy. More than sex, this was a need far more basic - simple human-to-human contact. She felt the memories rise between them, the loneliness they had shared along with every ache.

“Where do we go from here?” She finally asked, wrapping her arms around him from behind and resting her chin on his shoulder.

“Forward, I hope.” He grasped her hands in his. “But, there is still much for me to say.”

Rey responded by giving him a gentle squeeze.  _ I’m listening _ , she conveyed.

“I was blinded by my own desire for power and control, I should have been strong enough to end it before it went as far as it did,” His voice hitched slightly and he took a shaking breath.

“Neither of us is free from guilt,” She replied somberly. “We both know now just how intoxicating the dark side can be.”

“It only built from my own ego, my own cruelty. The things I said and did to  _ you _ ...those are far worse than any of my other transgressions.” He swallowed audibly and turned to look her in the eyes. “Though I don’t feel I can ever properly atone, you have my deepest apologies.”

“People can change, Ben.” A lump formed in Rey’s throat, her hands reaching for his under the water. “I feel the change in you.”

“I feel it in you too,” He returned the squeeze to her hands. 

“I don’t think we can truly understand the light without the darkness,” Rey whispered, the truth thrumming between them through the bond. “We’ve both been broken trying to be only one or the other, but now we can begin to mend. We can grow from both.”

Ben nodded and pressed his forehead into hers.

When they both had redressed, a sense of purpose charged the air between them. There was a war still raging beyond their reprieve on Endor and they each had a part to play in ending it. Ben had to return to his duties as Supreme Leader and begin the restructuring from within. The dark side nexus on Mustafar would remain dormant, no longer influenced by Darth Sidious. Rey had to return to the Resistance and arrange the peace accords with Leia and Poe. It would take much convincing on both sides. Rey dared to hope that it wouldn’t take long before the galaxy finally found lasting peace.

“There is one more thing before we go.” Ben said as they placed the last of their supplies back aboard the TIE fighter.

He pulled out the remnants of both lightsabers along with all of the kyber fragments. They sat down beside the cave entrance and placed all of the pieces between them. Two red fragments and two pale blue ones. Rey could feel all of them singing to her - deep notes blending with a higher, triumphant melody.

Ben took a red fragment and one of the blue, and Rey did the same with the remaining two pieces. She could feel the intent of the crystals and their need to be whole. They each closed their fist around their blended pairs, their breathing already synchronized.

Closing her eyes, she could feel his consciousness enter hers with the vision of what they needed to do.  _ Unite, purify. _ Her mind repeated those words and the underlying imagery, calling from the Force until the kyber fragments grew hot in her palm. They continued to sing, growing louder and louder until Rey couldn’t hear Ben’s breathing or her own over the sound of them. She let her renewed hope and compassion fill her alongside the fears she now held about the future and the war. The height of ecstasy she had felt in Ben’s arms mingled with the pit of sorrow at the idea that it could ever be lost. Anticipation and agony in one. 

Balance.

Finally, the pulsating heat subsided and they both opened their eyes at the same time. Turning their palms and unfurling their fingers, they each held a whole, clear crystal. They used the same process to place them into the hilts, warping the metal into itself until they, too, were complete again. Ben melted and molded away the side vents on his hilt, knowing they were no longer necessary.

Their task complete, Rey’s finger hovered over the igniter of the Skywalker saber and she looked back to Ben.

“Unless I am mistaken about your feelings toward me,” He said, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth, “that saber will remain in my family. Either way, it is most certainly yours now. As am I.”

Rey was left breathless at the meaning of his words and the expression she never thought she’d see him wear. She smiled in return, not sure if she could speak, and stepped to him. She clasped his fingers with her free hand and could see the wispy outline of a future that hadn’t existed until that very moment. Rey felt tears rising to the corners of her eyes, the same promise previously unspoken, yet felt between them more strongly than ever.

“You have me as well.” She stood on her toes to place a kiss on his mouth.

They ignited their sabers to reveal solid, identical beams of pure white. Rey knew it symbolized a new beginning for them both.

He flew her to Maz Kanata’s new cantina on Takodana, knowing she’d be able to reach the Resistance from there. He landed discreetly in a clearing and they stood together on the edge of the woods for a long time, neither wanting to leave.

“You know how to find me,” He whispered into her hair before dipping his mouth to hers for a lingering kiss. “As soon as it’s safe, I'll send you a signal.”

“Don’t take too long,” She smiled, hiding the pain of already missing him.

“I won’t,” He replied, though Rey ached at the thought that neither of them could know for sure. 

He turned at last and walked up the ramp into the cockpit, staring at Rey as the door closed between them.

“Tell my mother I’m coming home.” He said at the last moment before it hissed shut.

“I will,” Rey vowed, making her way back to Maz’s castle as the sun illuminated the path before her.

  
  


-The End-

  
  


" _ First comes the day _

_ Then comes the night. _

_ After the darkness _

_ Shines through the light. _

_ The difference, they say, _

_ Is only made right _

_ By the resolving of gray _

_ Through refined Jedi sight. _ "

―Journal of the Whills, 7:477

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a longtime Reylo lurker and this is my first stab at actually writing a fic of my own, so I just wanted to thank everyone who took the time to read this. Extra thanks to those who left kudos and comments, you guys helped keep me motivated! 
> 
> I hope you are all as stoked as I am to see how it will actually go down in December. May the Force be with you!


End file.
